The order of 'La excepción de la existencia'
by Verozexistente
Summary: She was an abducted girl, not knowing who she really was. He was a poor orphan but yet the noble slytherin prince. They shared memories and the strange ability use magic. Both were clever and extremly magical. But they were like the moon and the sun.
1. FIRST PART, Act1, 1998

**Hello reader, I'm happy you clicked the link to this story. Thank you.**

**This story came to me as a random idea and I sat down and started to type... and now, almost 2 months later I'm publishing it.**

**First I have to say that this story contains a kind of OOC Hermione. She will not be like the canon version in the HP books because of her new "back story" in this story. **

**But anyway I hope you will like this enough to hit the review button down bellow ;)**

**Disclaimer: I woke up one day and realized that I'm not JK Rowling and the fact that English isn't my first language.**

1998

His pale fingers touched a old blurry photograph. It was a mugglephoto, which means, the two persons in the photo didn't move. They were literally frozen in time, always 11 years old.

The girl with the bushy hair was taller than the boy. Even if the photo was black and white he remembered the colors around them. And specially the colors of her eyes...

Life had been easy then. Even though he didn't want to admit it. He somehow missed it. He shook his head in anger, he certainly didn't miss it, the beatings and abuse still fresh in mind, after all these years.

The hands clutched the photo.

Yet he didn't want to hold it.

It was filthy, the photograph was taken by a muggle.

But the hands refused to let it slip.

_Slip_, that word reminded him of something. The memory made him smile with his lip less mouth.

Voldemort smile dropped when his eyes caught another photograph. He wasn't disgusted by this one. It was a wizardry photo.

The photo portrayed the same boy and girl, they were only older He spotted the Hogwarts robes and the head boy/girl badges on them. They were both 17 years old. The boy was now taller than the girl. His handsome angelic features were framed by his ebony locks. He had an arm around the girl who still had her bushy and curly hair. That was before she disappeared. How he wished he had found her. How he wished he had actually done something to save her! He didn't regret many things in his life, but this was one of the things he regretted most. The fact that he let her slip away from his grip still haunted him.

His dead heart jumped when he saw a smile playing on her lips. But she didn't smile at him, but at the boy beside her. The boy bent down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.

He wished that it was him who was the boy in the picture. Well it _had_ been him, but that was so long ago.

But he still wanted to be the boy in the picture, again. It would take his pain away and sweep the bitterness away. Instead he stored the photo in a pocket in his robe. With that he was going to have a part of her with him, by his side, giving him strength. He couldn't deny that his magic wasn't on top since her disappearance. The change was barely noticeable but it was a missing piece somewhere.

That picture was his last memory of her.

He had been searching for her all day, and he still was, in the evening he became very worried. He wasn't the type who was worried but she didn't just disappeared for no reason, not Hermione.

He remembered how he had even asked Dumbledore. The head of her house. The old fool hadn't told him anything. Instead he sat behind his damn desk and assured Tom that he shouldn't be so worried.

He had wanted to curse him.

He still wanted to curse him and kill him... Severus Snape had gotten that pleasure.

The man took his eyes away from the picture. His gaze meet a mirror, the mirror was as long as a man and the frame was silvery with red ruby ancient runes.

His reflection stared back at him.

Hermione had always said that his gray eyes were beautiful.

He wondered what she would say about his red ones.

Probably respond by screaming and cursing him.

Lord Voldemort stared at himself' in the mirror. He blinked, the reflection blinked back.

Look what he had achieved without her. England was by his feet, begging on knees for his mercy. Lord Voldemort had no mercy. After England was his, then he was going to take over rest of Europe. Germany could mean trouble along with the Scandinavian countries, he pushed that away, trying to concentrate on this task. Operation Europe was _after _this particular incident was over. The-boy-who-lived-just-to-die-a-painful-death was going to be defeated after all these years. Lord Voldemort was going to prove that he, only he, was the only sorcerer to rule the world. By this time next year he planned having whole Europe under control, moving into Asia.

A soft knock on the door and interrupted his mad planes.

"You may come in." Voldemort turned his face to the intruder.

Lucius Malfoy gulped and ran a shaky hand through his messy long hair. "My lord, it's time. Potter and his friend has arrived." His anticipation was quite evident in his voice.

"The Weasleyboy?" Voldemort replied, mostly to himself. Many purebloods were to die this night. Too many. For example the whole Weasley family. Although no exceptions were going to be made. He would never allow to spare any _blood traitors_ just because of their precious blood. Blood traitors were just as despicable as mudbloods, animals.

"Yes, my lord." Malfoy replied sheepishly.

Lord Voldemort nodded shortly. Finally! He had an awaiting victory. He walked past Lucius with only one place in mind, the battlefield.

Lucius Malfoy's heart beat faster when his master left the room. All the lands and manors he had been promised, treasures beyond his wildest imagination. But most of all, the chance to exculpate his family and himself from all the mistakes. He was a follower of the most powerful wizard in the world and he was going to be rewarded. He did not knew that Lord Voldemort alias Tom Riddle Jr walked toward his downfall.

…**.**

**Want more?**


	2. Act2, 1927

Disclaimer; _**This**_ means French speaking.

France 1927

A woman in a red robe opened the door to her daughter's bedroom. The woman smiled softly down in the crib. The toddler who was lying asleep in the crib was the woman's most precious treasure. The baby girl stretched her fingers in her sleep and the woman went over to the open window. When she closed it she couldn't help but gaze worried out in the dark. Her family wasn't safe anymore. Not since they had spoke against the dark wizard who was slowly taking over all the power in wizardry France. Her husband's most oldest friends had convinced them to make him the secret keeper. The woman knew that when the secret keeper didn't reveal the info about her family's location they would be safe.

She sighed and turned around and faced a mirror. The woman was beautiful, she had delicate features and curly honey brown hair. Her brown eyes, once one of her most astounding assets, were filled with worry making them appear dull.

Dark times were approaching. Bad times for her baby girl. She and her husband wanted to give their daughter a good future. The girl could get a good future. The Dureé family were distant relatives to the Gaunt family who were relatives to the Peverells, and the Peverells were descents to the noble Slytherin house. Which meant the Dureé family was a wealthy pureblood family. Even if it pained her husband that the Dureé name would die with his daughter, her husband loved his sweet baby girl.

This girl wouldn't ever need money. She and her future children and grandchildren could live the good life without lifting a finger to work. That fact was displayed in her room. At the age of one year she had everything a little girl could wish for. Her room was big and light. The crib stood in the middle of her room like a island surrounded by her toys. She had soft teddy bears and beautiful dolls. In a corner stood a magnificent doll house and next to it was a little table with chairs, for future tea-parties when she was getting older.

The woman slowly stroke her daughter's cheek and left. She walked downstairs to the living room were her husband sat next to the fire. He read a newspaper with a concerned look on his face. The woman was about to say something to him when a patronus flew into the room. The silvery creature was an eagle.

"_**Leave your home. Your secret keeper has fallen!»**_

The woman and the man stared at each other. No one of them recognized the patronus. Maybe it was a friend, a savior.

A large BOOM echoed in the silence. Footsteps approached them. Before the man and the woman could react the living room was filled with dark cloaked figures. They were trapped and disarmed.

A man with blonde hair stepped into the room, smiling. He knew that the Dureé family were powerful and influential. When they were gone he could be sure to get the power in France. He raised his wand, the elder wand.

_**«Any last words?»**_ The question was just a symbolic, it's over for the two of you.

He didn't allow them to express their last thoughts, the Dureés were just a waste of his time. He moved the wand and said the powerful and beautiful words, _Avada Kedavra_.

…**.**

They were about to leave when a scream from upstairs cut through the silence.

A baby girl was standing in a crib in a baby room. The blonde man shook his head when the dark cloaked figures offered to get rid of the baby.

_**«Leave her alone. We don't have to worry about the child. She is after all just a girl.»**_With those words he leaved the room with his servants. Let the baby starve to death, no one was going to hear the faint screams.

…

The same night left a horse-rider the Dureé manor. He held a bundle of blankets knowing that if someone caught him he would surely lose his head. But he had made a promise, an unbreakable vow. His horse jolted when he exhorted it. He had to be in time for a boat who was about to leave for England before the dawn.

…**.**

A young woman dressed as a nurse paced worried in front of a debarkation. She didn't know why she was waiting here. She was just told to be here and wait for a delivery of something valuable. The young woman was to afraid to question and was secretly relieved that she didn't have any information. Information was very dangerous at this time.

A rider approached her. She noticed how her heart beat faster.

"_**To France."**_ The rider simply greeted her. His face was hidden in the dark but the young woman knew she could trust him, he was one of them, the secret order.

_**«To France.»**_ she replied to him and he handed her a bundle.

_So this was the valuable thing, a child?_

The young woman entered the boat and started the long journey to England. A couple of hours later when she was about to change the girls blankets she found a letter. She knew she wasn't allowed to read the letter but it was no one on the boat except for the captain... no one would ever going to find out anyway.

_Curiosity killed the cat_

She eyes the letter but didn't found anything valuable nor interesting. Just some info about the girl. Apparently she was named Hermione Dureé and was the last of the pureblood Dureé family. Hermione was going to change her surname to Granger and be disguised as a Mudblood. The woman shuddered when she read about the part were the girl was going to be disguised as a mudblood, poor girl.

The boat slowed down and the young woman prepared to fulfill her mission. She magically closed the letter, leaving no mark of it being opened before. She went off the boat and started to walk instead of using a magical transportation. The woman wasn't allowed to use magic in England, in case if someone tracked her. She walked by a orphanage and continued a few blocks to an old house. The woman knocked on the door and held the toddler tighter.

A old woman opened. The young woman in the nurse out-fit coughed _**«Sarah?»**_ She asked the elder woman.

Sarah nodded and her eyes found the bundle of blankets. **"Yes." **The elder woman's eyes got wide.

_**« Is that what I think it is?»**_ She asked and let the younger woman in.

The young woman let Sarah hold the toddler and nodded while she added. _**«She is the last now living Dureé. Everything is explained in this letter.»**_ Forgetting that the information she gave Sarah gave her away.

She gave Sarah the letter and was about to leave when Sarah interrupted her. The elder woman's bony hands clutched her arm painfully. She realized that the young woman had not exactly played by the rules, she had read the letter.

_**«Did you read the letter?»**_

The young woman in the nurse clothes shook her head and gulped. She was a terrible liar. But she hoped the old woman wouldn't see through her lie.

_**«Don't lie to me, girl.» **_Sarah's eyes bored into hers. _**«You know how important this is. If you say one word..»**_

_**«I won't say a word. My lips are sealed.»**_ She answered and smiling faintly.

_**« Of Course.»**_ Sarah raised her wand quickly and shouted '_Oblivate_' before the young woman could do anything. The poor girl's wand was stored into her pocket and she couldn't reach it.

…**.**

Hermione Dureé, now Granger, didn't get any feeding until 24 hours later she arrived to England. Sarah was to tired to feed her. Instead she put up a silence ward around Hermione's small dirty room and went to bed.

The next 9 years would not going to be good for Hermione. Sarah wasn't really fond of kids and never really cared for the girl. Hermione desperately needed a mother-figure and Sarah wasn't the best choice. Sarah was an old woman and died the same year Hermione turned 10 and the girl was put in an orphanage.

After 9 years living as a muggle without any memory of her magical parents Hermione was surprised when strange things started to happen around her. The new feeling was refreshing. Nothing could stop her, she could do anything with her mind. She was foolish enough to think she was the only girl in the world who was able to do such things.


	3. SECOND PART, Act3, 1937

_Time wears on and the memory withers, like the flowers placed on a grave with less frequency each passing year. With the passing of a few mere generations it's as though you never existed at all._

1937

The eleven year old Tom Riddle gazed shyly over his own book at the new girl at Wool's orphanage. She was different from the other kids in the orphanage. Her hair was bushy and she had rather large teeth. But it wasn't just her appearance that was different. He had a strange feeling that she was... special. That she was just as odd as him. He felt a connection to her. Even though he hadn't spoke to her.

Even if he almost knew that she was like him in a twisted way, she was his opposite. She chatted happily with the other girls in her age. Something Tom Riddle wouldn't want to do. All the kids in the orphanage annoyed him, their presence bored him, he usually kept to himself.

Tom despised everything about them. He hated when they screamed and cried, but especially when they laughed. He didn't know why he couldn't stand their laughs, though it didn't mind him.

…

It was one of the annual trips to the sea the orphanage organized, always in the spring. The children had one chance in the year to finally see the sea and the coast of England.

"Tom, dear, why wont you go and play with the other boys?" Mrs Cole asked nervously. She didn't know what to do with the rather odd boy. He had always been strange. He barely screamed as a baby and missed that particular sparkle in his eyes that the other kids had. He never laughed and never played with the other boys. In rare moments when he actually seemed to enjoy himself was when he read. She noticed this when she saw a small flush in his pale cheeks and his dead eyes lighten up every time he read. He was sucked into the world.

Tom didn't answer her question. Instead he stared at the girls, or one particular. He sighed and turned his gaze towards the shouting boys who chased each other with sticks. Mrs Cole stroke his cheek when she walked away. He shuddered, he didn't like her touch. He didn't like anyone else touch either. Actually he hated it.

He watched the girls being chased by the boys with the sticks. The girls laughed while they became chased. Tom watched them with pity. They were just supposed to become 'trophy wives' in the future, with no brains or aspirations at all.

One girl didn't exactly enjoy the game. The other strange girl with the bushy hair didn't like to be chased. She tried to back away but one of the boys, Zack Baker, saw her and started to chase her. She turned around and shouted at him, to leave her alone. He laughed and with crack of his hand he hit her in the face with the stick. She stumbled backwards until she sat down with her hand over the mark from the hit. Tears welled up in her eyes while the other boys watched her laughing.

Where are the adults when you need them?

**...**

The others left her on the ground. Both the girls and boys. Hermione had never been hit in her life. She had never felt the emotion who raced through her body. It was sadness and feelings of being alone with anger. She wanted to hurt him.

"Are you all right?" Tom the quiet boy asked her and interrupted her thoughts.

"You don't have anything to do with that!" Hermione stated. "Leave me alone."

Tom's already cold eyes froze and his face turned into stone. "Fine" he turned around and walked away. Like the question he had asked her took him every ounce of courage and the defeat was monstrous when she snapped at him.

Hermione ignored him and walked fast towards the bunch of kids at the cliff. Zack Baker hit another boy with his stick near the cliff precipice. The rocks were slippery from the water. The girl felt how the raw emotions raced through her veins. Only Sarah, that hag, had made her feel so angry and helpless. Hermione remembered the first time she performed magic. She had shaved of Sarah's hair. With a smile she returned to reality and her emotions.

She had no empathy in that moment, just anger.

Her vision turned red.

_Slip _she whisper under her breath.

She had no idea why he slipped.

Why he stumbled towards the end of the cliff and actually fell off.

She had wanted it to happen, badly.

She ran to the others and heard Tom Riddle behind her. The boys and girls screamed.

Zack never came up to the water surface. Something held him down, dragged him to the bottom.

Zack fought against the urge to breath. But when he reached the point when his brain shut of and his instincts took over. He drew a breath.

He had never seen something so beautiful in his short life before. Everything seemed to slow down. Bubbles floated around his head.

Zack smiled at the peaceful moment. He saw white stars dancing around him.

As the white faded away, darkness replaced it.

Hermione suddenly wanted to laugh, laugh at the poor boy who couldn't get up to the water surface. Her will held him down. This was the first time she had ever hurt someone, and it felt good.

Suppose it was the anger twisting her mind.

Suppose she was not in a healthy state of mind.

At this moment, she didn't regret it at all.

**...**

"Oh my lord!" Mrs Cole screamed when his dead body came back up. She held one hand over Hermione's eyes. She didn't want the poor girl to see that awful thing.

"Girls and boys, come here. Lets get back to the bus!" Mrs Cole shouted and herded them back to a yellow and rusty bus. She held a crying boy's hand while she wiped away her own tears.

Hermione walked slowly back behind the others. _What happened?_ She had begun to question herself now when the anger wore off. Did she really made him drown, Hermione thought terrified. Sure Zack was a bully and he had hit her. But did he really deserve to die?

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice Tom Riddle and a mugglegirl eye her curiously.

…**.**


	4. Act4

1937

_She ran. She ran away from what who was chasing her. She didn't know what or who it was. Because when she looked back she couldn't see anyone or anything. Different scenes came and went before her eyes and she recognized some parts. There was her room and the hall in the orphanage and sometimes the old house Sarah lived in with her. But the scene changed again and it was night, she ran over hills and fields. It felt like she ran in waist-deep water. Suddenly she heard a horse, for the first time in her dream she saw the person who was chasing her. It was a dark rider with a horse. _

"_Come here!" She turned around and saw a nurse wave at her. _

_Hermione didn't hesitate. She ran over to the nurse and took her hand. Together the flied. But the feeling of running through waist-deep water overwhelmed her again. The nurse's arm stretched out and became longer and longer..._

"_No, don't let me go!" Hermione shouted but it was too late. She found herself on the horse in the riders embrace._

_The horse ran faster, the hills and fields turned into various colors. _

_She heard loud cries and screams, even though she was alone with the rider, and the riders breath._

_Suddenly everything stopped and silence hit her hard. Everything disappeared and she fell._

_She stumbled through a tunnel of darkness. Until she landed on a stone floor._

_The rider revealed himself again in the shadows a couple of meters away. _

"_Who are you, what do you want?" Hermione asked him and was surprised by her calm voice._

_The rider was silent. Instead he took a menacingly step towards her._

"_What do you want?" Hermione's voice wasn't calm anymore. Instead it broke and was stained of sobs._

_By each step the rider seemed to shrink until he was just as tall as her._

_Zack Baker's face revealed itself when the hood fell to the floor._

"_Why Hermione?" His cold voice echoed in the dark room._

"_No-... no. Not you-. I didn't mean it." She broke down in sobs by his feet. He stared down at her pitifully just the way he looked at her when he was alive. She remembered those cold eyes._

_His foot collided with her face. Her nose broke but Hermione couldn't feel any pain. She wished she could, maybe her guilt would disappear. Something trickled down her face, red liquid. _

"_Yes, you meant it. You are evil and I was the poor soul who stood in your way." He spitted in her face._

"_I'm not evil!" Hermione's anger took over once again. "it was you. You just got what you deserved!"_

_Zack Baker's humorless laugh danced in the room. "You killed me but it's you who got what you deserved. You are going to live with this until you dies. The guilt is going to eat you alive." _

**...**

The orphanage was located at the edge of London, near a little forest. It was to the forest Hermione was heading today or rather this morning. She slipped out of her bed without making any noise and tiptoed down the stairs. She didn't want wake anyone. Unfortunately for Hermione, a girl named Amy Benson was going back to bed after a visit to the only toilet in the orphanage. She and Hermione met each other in a corridor.

"Where are you going?" Amy asked and her body was suddenly ice cold. What if the... freak did something to her.

"Nothing. I mean I'm not going anywhere." Answered Hermione and bit her lip. "What are you doing up this early?" She asked Amy.

Amy didn't answer her. Instead she asked another question. Something nagged in her head.

"What did you do to Zack?"

Hermione froze. Amy knew? "I have no idea what you're talking about." She said in an attempt to avoid more questions.

Amy yawned and it seemed like she wasn't so interested anymore. Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself down when Amy headed back to her own room. That was easy. Actually too easy.

On her way out she kicked a blue car down the stairs.

…**.**

She stood hidden behind a corner when Hermione opened the front door and slipped out. Amy hurried back to her room but stopped when she reached her friend's room. She had told him about her suspicions. She was relieved when he had told her that he believed her. Maybe she should tell him that Hermione left the orphanage...

Amy played with a blonde lock while she thought about it. The freak was probably up to something new.

And Amy missed her friend Zack.

It was her duty to tell everyone what Hermione Granger did to Zack Baker. Amy was certain she was going to be praised for her courage. Maybe Mrs Cole would give her a golden medal, maybe one of those a military hero received for long and loyal service to the motherland.

She took a step in Dennis Bishop's room's direction.

…**.**

Hermione walked slowly away from the path. She enjoyed being in this forest, alone with her own thoughts. Her skirt become wet because of the dewdrops, Hermione didn't mind she was in deep thoughts. She had a feeling she never had before. She couldn't place her fingers on it, she had a uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Every time she closed her eyes she could see Zack Baker's face floating in front of her. She tried to shake that off but Zack always came back. Hermione opened her eyes and saw a beautiful meadow.

The illuminated light gave the trees and some flowers a very mystical image. The dewdrops in the grass looked like pearls made of glass.

Twitter of a bird caught her attention. Hermione's eyes searched through the trees but she couldn't find a bird. The twitter became more loudly. She stared up into the sky and the tree crowns. It was so near but why couldn't she see it?

Something pecked on her foot. And Hermione looked down. A little bird sat in the grass and stared up with piercing black eyes. It was so tiny just a baby bird.

"Oh, you can't come up again?" Said Hermione and bent down to pick the baby bird up. Not without a minor fight, though. But when the bird was in her hands it stopped to fight. "So what's wrong with you, little one?" Hermione said again and tried to inspect the bird. "You are beautiful." She said when the light hit the brown varicolored feather mail.

The little bird twittered in response and she smiled. Hermione finally found out what was wrong with the bird, it had a broken wing.

First she was going to take the bird to the orphanage and ask Mrs Cole what to do but she changed her mind. Maybe she could use her own _force_ to heal the bird and do something nice for a change. Zack Baker's face made her shudder. She swallowed and suppressed her tears. If she could do something good with her ability maybe she wouldn't be so bad.

The baby bird twittered again and pierced her with his black eyes. It gave her permission..

She concentrated on the bird's wing and visualized the baby bird flying around happily with a healthy wing. A strange but not an uncomfortable feeling boiled in her blood, rushed through her veins, and to her hands. She felt nothing when it expanded and the force flowed in all her cells, out through her skin.

A happy twitter from the baby bird confirmed that she succeeded. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled. It felt good... she couldn't put her finger on it, but it certainly felt good.

Another twitter caught her attention. She looked up and found another bird in a tree nearby. It was bigger than the baby bird in her hand. It twittered again and this time it almost sounded angry.

"Why are you angry, a day like this?" Hermione asked confused.

The bird shifted place. It had that same piercing eyes as the baby bird.

Hermione recognized the similarity and mentally kicked herself for being so blind.

"Oh I see, you are his or maybe her mother."

She let out another impatient twitter.

"Don't be like that. If it wasn't for me your baby bird wouldn't be able to fly ever again." Hermione responded huffily.

The bird seemed to ignore her and started to fly around her and the baby bird.

"If you don't believe me, take a look!" Hermione lifted up the baby bird in the air to show her. "I wouldn't hurt your baby. I'm nice." Hermione wasn't so sure about the last sentence. She had a strange feeling inside her. Even if it was warm in the air she almost froze but at the same time she was sweating. She closed her eyes to push that awful feeling away.

"Talking to birds are you?!" The new voice asked her. She knew that voice. It was him.

…**.**


	5. Act5

Tom Riddle woke up from his dreamless sleep. He heard whispers. Someone was in his room. Well not his room entirely. He shared it with Dennis Bishop. That boy was a nightmare. He had once seen Tom talking to a snake in the garden. It had twisted Dennis Bishop's head. After that day he refereed Tom as _the freak_ or more matching _snake boy._

"Yes, I'm telling you. She just left."

"Go away Amy. I want to sleep."

"No. She is up to something new. I can tell you that... Think about the medal when we tell everyone about her."

Stupid muggles and their stupid gold fever. They loved everything that glittered.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. It will be big and the king himself are going to be there."

"Well, okay then."

Dennis slipped out of his bed and put on a jacket. They tiptoed out.

Tom Riddle lay awake in his bed, thinking. He wondered who they were talking about. He could guess. _She_ was probably Hermione Granger. The new girl in the orphanage who was so different from the others. Every time he saw her he got a strange feeling in his body. It was like they shared a secret or a bond. She seemed to be just as _freaky_ as him. Tom wondered if she also could talk to snakes. He wrinkled his nose. No, he was the only one. He was special and not like Dennis Bishop or Amy Benson. When he thought about them he couldn't help but worry about the Hermione girl. What they might do to her. He gulped.

Tom Riddle opened the front door to the orphanage and slipped out. They where completely unaware of their stalker. He followed Amy and Dennis in a safe distance, maybe too safe distance since he lost track of them.

An opportunity snaked in front of him. A precocious snake.

"Excuse me, Mrs Snake." Tom Riddle asked. He was grateful for his gift. It had turned out to be very helpful in different occasions.

The beauty cocked her head in interest. "A snake whisperer... so fascinating." She hissed back.

"I wonder if you have seen two human children cross your path." Tom said and tried to sound polite and charming.

The beauty fell for it. Her eyes sparkled of amusing. It wasn't every day a young gentleman came to speak to her. "Oh yes. A girl and a boy walked by."

Another snake and joined them. This snake filled in "They went in a direction to north." He cocked his head in right direction.

Tom smiled and thanked them for the information. He turned on his charm to the highest level and dazzled the beauty.

The beauty blinked and added. "Where is my manners? I want to introduce you, the snake whisperer, to my daughter, Nagini."

…**.**

Mrs Cole was up late this night, it was almost dawn. She had trouble with sleeping lately. Not because of nightmares, even if that horrible Zack Baker accident kept the children awake in the nights. Screaming in their sleep was not something unusual. Neither was bed wetting. No, Mrs Cole had trouble with paperwork. Something who was extremely hard when you already had a hard time with reading and writing. It didn't get better when she sipped frequently on her gin, or sip was the wrong word... Mrs Cole didn't really know when to stop.

She tried to focus on Zack Baker's birth certificate or was it his file about his antics?

The bottle became empty and after the fourth time trying to write her own signature, she decided to try to get some sleep. Mrs Cole left the room surprisingly steady on her feet. She was about to head upstairs when her foot stepped on a thing. This particular thing seemed to be able to move, or rather roll just like it had wheels.

Mrs Cole lost her balance and fell.

She was an old woman. Even if she was strong in her heart, her body wasn't strong anymore. She hit her head hard on the stone floor.

Death embraced her almost immediately but not before she could see the thing that caused her the too early death.

Light illuminated on a blue toy car.

Funny that a toy that had given so many kids in the orphanage so much joy actually turned out to be her death. A weapon. Mrs Cole remembered when she gave it to a lonely boy with dark hair. She had wished his eyes would have lit up at the sight of the new toy. They didn't.

…**.**

"Talking to birds are you?!" Dennis had taken courage and almost shouted the question across the meadow. The freak stood in the middle of the meadow and talked to herself. Amy held his hand to prove that they were two and the freak was alone.

She turned around. Her face was surprised, she hadn't expected them to be there. "Hello"

Amy ignored her and let go of Dennis hand. She took a couple of steps forward. "I know what you've done to Zack." She became silent and watched Hermione's expression. "You are not getting away with this. We are going to tell everyone."

Dennis stepped in and said. "100 years ago you would've been burned at the stake. But I guess the mental hospital offers electroshock treatment." He snickered.

Hermione's eyes was filled with fear and... confusion. She held a bird in her hand. "No, you don't know what you are talking about."

Once again Amy ignored her. "What are you doing with the bird?"

"Nothing. He was ill and I helped him."

Dennis shock his head. "Don't lie."

"I'm not lying. See he's fine." She walked towards them and held out the bird who twittered.

Amy and Dennis took a step back. "Don't come any closer." Fear radiated from their eyes.

Hermione threw the bird up in the air. It flied a little shakily over their heads and returned to his mother.

"You see? He is just fine, I helped him." Hermione seemed to try to convince herself more than Amy and Dennis.

"I don't care, we don't care. You hurt him. You killed Zack Baker." Amy's voice echoed in the forest.

"Be careful Amy, she is a witch." Dennis said and took her hand.

Amy turned around. "She killed Zack, she is a freak."

Memories of his old mate ran through his head. That freak had taken his friend away from him.

She killed him.

He fell.

She made him fell...

Dennis picked up a stick. He took fast steps in her direction.

When the stick should have collided with her face it started to vibrate. Dennis glanced down at the stick in his hand, nothing was changed. But still it was warm. He ignored it and with all his strength it flew through the air once again.

Hermione did nothing to protect herself.

The stick in Dennis hand caught on fire and he released it from his grip. Amy scowled and picked up a stone. She threw it with all her strength against Hermione. But the stone never hit her. Instead it resolved in mid air.

Another person joined them in the meadow. He walked quietly and tentatively. His eyes were wide opened and surprised. The muggles threw stones and tried to hit her but it didn't hurt her. Their vigorous efforts were pointless. It didn't cause her any damage.

Amy spotted him standing there a couple of meters away. "So the other freak is here." She said wryly.

Tom scowled when he heard her. She had no rights to call him that. Anger building up inside him.

"Both of you are freaks. If you are happy they have a double cell in the mental hospital." Dennis said and snickered again.

A tree fell down with a loud crack.

"Neither of you deserve to be with us, normal people!"

"Both of you would be locked inside in a cell. I've seen you talking to snakes." Dennis pointed at Tom melodramatically.

Magic twisted around Tom and Hermione. The air sparkled as if it was filled with electricity. A crow landed in a tree near them and croaked.

"Freak!"

The crow's croak got stuck in it's throat, it fell down from the tree, dead.

You could have cut through the magic. Both Hermione's and Tom's faces glowed in the mysterious force they shared.

Amy and Dennis backed away, not knowing what to do. They realized they had crossed the border.

"Amy..?" Dennis made it sound like a question. He was terrified and cursed himself for being so acquisitive. He had only followed her because of the awaiting medal of honor he was going to receive.

"Dennis." She replied and took his hand. Hermione and Tom came closer, anger burning in their eyes. It was almost beautiful, them circling around the victims, just like a predator.

The child's scream echoed to the sky and thousands of birds lifted from the trees. The beauty and her daughter, Nagini, stared up and snaked down in their own hollow. The whole forest died. Someone perpetrated the most disgustingly crime ever existing on earth. A human took another human's life, swept it away.

…**.**

Mr Daniels gazed at the gray building, his new workplace. He picked up his bag with clothes and personal stuff. His hat sat on one side over his almost bald head. He was dressed in the latest 30's fashion. His jacket was elegant cut and his handkerchief matched his haircolour. In his younger days he had been a heart breaker. He still was but now were his audience older.

He was described as polite and charming. Others said he was well-read and had a mind for logic. Women swarmed around him and he was a absolutely the perfect son-in-law. Very calm and secure. Many women had tried to get his attention in his days, even if they had different goals; Marry him, try to get him to marry your daughter, or just have a affair with him. But he never responded. He wasn't interested.

When he was still a teenager he had been nervous and insecure by the fact that girls in his age didn't affect him. He simply couldn't feel what the other boys in his age felt when it was girls around. It was first in his late 20's he found out why.

Mr Daniels walked through the corridors to his soon to be office. He spoke to some of the girls in his staff about his new workplace and the horrible accidents lately. One of them was very theatrical in her story telling.

The girl who was about 25 years old nodded and told him with wide eyes about the poor boy who fell from a cliff. She moved on telling him about the former owner's death. She kept nodding when she assured him that it was a blue toy car. Not a green one, a blue, that killed the former owner. She waved with her arms and her eyes almost burst from their sockets when she told him about the animal attack. Two poor orphans had gone to the woods and then were attacked by animals. She kept babbling about those strange accidents and handed him files about the children. He barely registered her rantings but he woke up when she handed him a big file with the words "this one is hard"

He smiled condescendingly at her and opened the file. His eyes met a black and white photo of a little boy with dark hair. The girl returned to her duty when a boy came screaming about blood.

"Kids" She sighed.

Mr Daniels also sighed but for a different reason. He was happy that he didn't have to talk to her. He certainly didn't look forward to speak to her again. Mr Daniels thought about different reasons for him to fire her when he stepped into his office.

…**.**

"Well well, Tom Riddle, no more antics for you." He murmured when he read through the boy's list of escapades. He sighed and started to redecorate his new office. His standard cross already hung over his desk. He made the sign of the cross and thought about his darker years in his youth and when he after all found god, the light.

He was sure this new workplace was going to fit him, Wool's Orphanage.


	6. Act6

Snowflakes fell down on rooftops in London. It was December 24th and everyone who had enough money took a last minute shopping trip. A girl gazed into a shop window, sadness radiated from her body. A beautiful doll in the window was sitting in a small white chair. She had blue eyes and blonde hair with delicate red lips.

The girl let out a sigh of frustration. The doll seemed familiar to her. But she pushed it away, the doll was pretty plain anyway. Blue eyes and blonde hair.. not so innovative.

The shop assistant smiled through the window to the girl and lifted up the doll. The girl gazed into the window several minutes after the doll's disappearing, almost like she was hypnotized. A bell rang from the door and the sound broke her dazzled expression.

A lady with a fur coat and a man walked out with a package. Both had expensive clothes and the woman's jewelry was probably worth a yearly income. The girl watched them as she listened to their conversation.

"Luzia is going to adore this doll."

The man nodded. "Anything for my angel." He had a loving smile on his face.

"The shop assistant said it was imported from France. That fact just makes it even more charming."

"He did?" The man asked.

"Yes he did. But I didn't believe his nonsense about it belonging to the Dureé family." She answered and they walked over to a car. "Although I assume second hand items come with a history."

The girl, Hermione, sighed again. She wasn't able to see the doll again, she walked home sad. It had been such a lovely doll.

…**.**

Mr Daniels reread Tom Riddle's file. A concerned wrinkle appeared in his forehead. Yesterday a boy's bed caught on fire and Tom Riddle had just had a fight with the boy. Mr Daniels was not an idiot, he had his suspicions. He always had a talent for finding demons and devils. He knew were the true evil hided. In this case in Tom Riddle.

But Mr Daniels had changed after his meeting with god for so many years ago. Instead of killing it, he was going to give it a second change, he allowed the evil to find god and convert to the light. Tom Riddle was going to thank him on his bare knees later in his life.

A almost inaudible knock echoed in the room. Mr Daniels sat up straighter in his chair and allowed the visitor in.

The dark haired boy stepped in nervously. Mr Daniels liked it, he considered himself as a hunter and the hunt was so much more interesting when the victim was afraid.

Mr Daniels smiled a warm smile. "Sit down, boy."

Tom sat down and gazed at the cross on the wall behind Mr Daniels. The man noticed this and an idea formed in his head.

"I see that you are staring at the cross." He took a pause to analyze the boys expression. "It saved me one time."

Tom raised a brow.

_Oh really?_

Mr Daniels chuckled and looked at him just the way a uncle would look at his favorite nephew. But this nephew was a little bit unruly at the moment.

"Oh yes, the rhino was about to spike me with its horn. When I took my cross and shouted 'you shall not hurt the god's missionary' and then I hit him right in the eye with it." Mr Daniels chuckled when he noticed the interest in the boys almost dead eyes.

"I had god on my side then. In fact I always have god on my side." Mr Daniels continued before Tom interrupted him.

"I know what you are thinking right now."

Now Mr Daniels raised a brow.

"You.. you think I'm crazy or worse... sometimes people around me says I'm the son of Satan and that I'm not human. But I know that I'm not crazy nor the son of Satan, even though I don't know much about my family. I'm just different." Tom quickly avoided Mr Daniels eyes.

"You are right, that is not bad. Many years ago I was just as insecure as you. I realized that I was different. I didn't like to be different. But now I have learned to live it and surprisingly I'm enjoying it." Mr Daniels breathing became thicker and his heart beat faster. Now when he had opened up, Tom would trust him. He ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"But I'm afraid I have to discuss this incident with you."

Tom didn't answer, his facial expression didn't change either, just a small gulp. Mr Daniels noticed this amused. He felt like a predator and the boy in front of him was his prey.

He stood up and walked to the window in the office. "I'm sure that this will land in your file and it's already filled with your antics. This one was particular heavy. A bed just strangely caught on fire... I have to think about everyone's safety."

"No." His small voice was pleading.

"It is my duty to care for everyone's safety." He repeated again with emphasis.

"No please, don't do it, sir."

Mr Daniels smiled. Tom Riddle was hooked.

"There is something you could do for me, but you have to promise to keep it as a secret."

"Of course, Mr Daniels." Tom Riddle was relived.

Mr Daniels turned around, he was euphoric and his heart beat faster. It had been so long, too long since last time. He unzipped his pants slowly.

"We'll just keep this as a secret, our secret."

Tom nodded with wide eyes.

…**.**

Hermione sat alone at the empty table, watching the other kids. Ever since the 'incident' no one had talked with her. She knew she deserved it. She had killed three innocent orphans because of the fact that she can't control her temper. Every day she felt ashamed and was constantly in an almost crying state. Zack, Amy and Dennis. Every night they haunted her. Hermione knew that she would never find peace, she was doomed.

"Hermione, dear." One of the girls from the staff sat down beside her. "Aren't you going to join us now when we are going to open the Christmas gifts?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I think I might be ill." She lied and hung her head.

"Oh poor thing." The girl said. "You know what, I'll give you your gift now and then I'm going to send you to bed." She gave Hermione a thin box wrapped in red paper.

"Thank you." Hermione held her small gift in her hands and for the first time she looked into the girl's eyes.

"You are always welcome. Now chin up, it's Christmas." She smiled at Hermione and got up to help the others.

…**.**

Hermione smiled at her own gift, a green wrapped pen. Instead of borrowing the orphanage's disgusting pencils she was going to have her own. It made her happy to see a so fine pen. It was probably worth a lot...

She walked by a closed door when she sensed a emotion in the air. Someone was sad. When she noticed this she heard a small cry.

"Hello?" She asked and knocked on the door. No one responded and the crying stopped. Well at least no one cried anymore. Hermione wanted to go but something kept her by the door, gravity.

She opened the door and closed it fast. She was in a small room with two beds and a desk. One bed was covered by a white sheet and a small silver cross. A dark figure sat on the other. The shape was huddled together.

"Are you all right?" She asked the shape.

A sob answered her question. This person was not okay. The boy's shoulders shook in dry sobs. His ebony locks fell down in his forehead.

Hermione sat down beside Tom Riddle who was trying to wipe off his tears. Every time he blinked away them they seemed to come back twice as much. She put an fumbling arm around his shoulders.

"Are you sorry about Dennis and Amy?" Hermione asked him. "I am. I wish it never happened. I wish I never did something so evit." Hermione's own voice broke.

She wasn't prepared for his reaction.

He jumped away from her and stood up. His face changed in seconds, from eyes filled with tears to a growling face with anger. "Do you think I'm sorry for them? They deserved it." He breathed heavily and wiped away a couple of tears. "No, I'm not sorry. I don't want to be sad but I can't help it." His eyes were like bottomless wells. "What he did- I mean what I had to do." His voice broke and he tried again. "I can't tell you, I promised him..."

"Who?" asked Hermione but she got no reply.

"It's our secret. A secret between me and him." Tom repeated voicelessly almost like a robot. His shoulders began to tremble again when the sobs came back.

Hermione got up and walked over to him. "Don't be sad, it's Christmas." She wrapped her arms around him. His tears made her shoulder wet.

"Whatever this person did to you. He did something wrong." After hearing those words Tom snaked his arms around her and they hugged each other.

No one of them had felt a real hug before and to their surprise it was kind of nice. But it didn't last long.

…**.**

Mr Daniels took another sip of his whiskey. He was frustrated over the man in front of him. His strange appearance and his obvious lack of Christianity was almost to much for him to handle. The strange man was also asking questions about two orphans. Mr Daniels had no idea why just they were so interesting.

"Have you noticed anything strange about the children? Something you can't really explain?" Mr Daniels tried to remember and the conversation he had with a girl in the staff came back to him.

_The girl who was about 25 years old nodded and told him with wide eyes about the poor boy who fell from a cliff. She moved on telling him about the former owner's death. She kept nodding when she assured him that it was a blue toy car. Not a green one, a blue, that killed the former owner. _

_She waved with her arms and her eyes almost burst from their sockets when she told him about the animal attack. Two poor orphans had gone to the woods and then were attacked by animals. _

_She kept babbling about those strange accidents and handed him files about the children. He barely registered her rantings but he woke up when she handed him a big file with the words "this one is hard"_

_He smiled condescendingly at her and opened the file. His eyes met a black and white photo of a little boy with dark hair..._

But Mr Daniels decided to not tell Professor Dumbydlore(?) about those incidents. You never knows what happens when you tell things like that to strangers. But when the strange professor offered the two kids to go to his private school, Mr Daniels became more interested in getting to know him.

"So you mean you will take them to your school except for the summer and Christmas breaks?" Mr Daniels said and sat up straighter. He wanted to make a good impression.

"Yes, both of them have a certain talent I'm looking for." The strange professor said and smiled one of his odd smiles. "Do you think I can meet them?"

"Of course." Mr Daniels loved the idea of one of his orphans on a fancy private school. That would be something to boast about.

…**.**


	7. THIRD PART, Act7, 1942

1942

"Miss Granger, are you here again?" Hermione quickly hid a book behind her back.

Mrs Dyce, the librarian, shook her head and smiled. "The sun is shining and you're in this dusty and boring library." She placed a lock of her already gray hair behind her ear.

"I'm about to leave now." Hermione smiled back a charming smile. She was quite good in dazzling people and as usual Mrs Dyce fell for it and strode away.

Hermione went out of the library while she put the book in her bag. She felt a twinge of bad conscience about the book, a book about dark magic. She was a liar, she was always disguised as the perfect student who wouldn't hurt a fly. But in her spare time she read about dark magic. It was something she couldn't stop, she promised herself every time that this book was the last one, but there was always another even more darker book on a shelf.

Hermione walked unhappy and lost in her own thoughts when she bumped into a crying girl.

"Watch it!" The girl wore thick glasses and her face was filled with pimples. Tears streamed from her eyes. "No one cares about me, no one cares about me..." She said mostly to herself.

"Myrtle?" Hermione asked softly. "What's going on, why are you crying?" She raised her hand and placed it on Myrtle's shoulder.

"Don't touch me.." Myrtle hissed. "I said don't touch me!" When Hermione didn't back away Myrtle took a deep breath and yelled. "I said don't touch me, you- you filthy orphan!"

Hermione immediately let her go, her eyes was wide and surprised. Myrtle was famous for her emotional break downs but she didn't insult people.

Myrtle was also surprised. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh my god, what did I just say?" She whispered softly more to herself than to Hermione. "I am so sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean what I said."

"It's okay, you just lost control over yourself. You were angry." Hermione said to her. She knew very well how it was to lose the control over your own anger. The faces of Zack Baker, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop danced in front of her own eyes. She pressed them back, pushed it away and returned to reality when a boy came and joined them.

"Well well isn't it the spectacled snake, Myrtle?" He snickered at his own comment. Olive was one famous bullies in Hogwarts. Myrtle seemed to be his favorite victim.

"Leave me alone, Olive! Why won't you leave me alone?" Myrtle screamed while she backed away. Before Olive or Hermione could say something she had turned around to run away.

"Was that necessary?" Hermione sighed.

Olive shook his shoulders. "Let a guy have his own fun.." He added and winked. "Speaking of fun, Granger you've turned into a crumpet lately. Would you mind if we shared the same broom closet this afternoon?" His eyes ran over her body.

Hermione shuddered "I would probably say 50 points from Hufflepuff." She scowled when he was unaffected.

"Too bad." His eyes ran over her body once again. "You are not bad looking. I guess you would make a small fortune if you let the guys pay you for special services."

"Be careful, Hornby, you are speaking to a prefect." Hermione was about to loose it, her vision was turning red.

"What?" He put on an innocent face. "You are a mudblood plus an orphan. That is probably the only way for you to stay alive after Hogwarts." He became silent when her magic started to affect him.

Hermione's vision was blood red and her magic swept around her like an aura. Olive Hornby's eyes became wider with fear when he realized that he almost could see the magic and almost touch it. Coldness wandered fast from his toes up through his veins, it had almost reached his heart when a cold voice interrupted them.

"What's going on here?" It was a voice Hermione only heard in Herbology when he was answering questions with the right answers of course. They hadn't spoke to each others since she was placed in Gryffindor and he in Slytherin. Ca 5 years ago.

The tall handsome Slytherin prefect stood behind Hermione in a safe distance. The prefect badge glistened in the light. Olive Hornby's lips curled in a respectful smile at the sight of the mysterious Tom Riddle.

"I didn't mean to offend Miss Granger, Mr prefect. I was about to leave." He stared into Riddle's face but not into his eyes, waiting for permission. Riddle nodded and Hornby turned around.

"Miss Granger" Hermione imitated Olive Hornby's voice. "Two minutes ago I was just a crumpet." She snorted contemptuously and turned around to look at 'Mr Prefect'. He wasn't as flawless as usual, his neat hair was uncombed he had bags under his eyes and his uniform hung wrinkled on him. His eyes were red but they had a little sparkle though it seemed like he hadn't slept in days.

He tucked his wand into his robe and was about to leave when Hermione put a hand on his arm. He froze from the touch. "I'm curious, why did you defend me?" Hermione asked interested. "We haven't said a word to each others in 5 years."

"I don't have the time, really." His dead eyes were back. "Excuse me" With those words he left her alone, looking at his back with a puzzled face.

…**.**


	8. Act8

Tom strode out from his dorm with a nervous feeling in his body. He left the empty Slytherin common room. It was a sunny day and the students were out by the lake or on the quidditch pitch. His heart raced and he couldn't stop look to see if someone was behind him. He wasn't blessed with luck. So if Albus Dumbledore showed up in the hallway with his sparkling piercing blue eyes to demand to know why Tom was walking in the corridors... He wouldn't be surprised if that happened. But he wasn't lucky today. Even though Dumbledore didn't show up, another annoying person did. Olga-Isabelle Malfoy, sister to Abraxas Malfoy.

"Tom?" Her annoying voice echoed from the stairs.

He turned around and put on one of his most charming smiles. Olga-Isabelle seemed to be very dazzled. "Miss Malfoy, I'm just on my way to the owlery."

She ran a hand through her silvery blond hair and walked towards him. "I can join you, Tom." She winked and placed two fingers on his chest. He froze when her fingers wandered up to his neck and down to his shoulders when she walked around him and whispered in his ears. "We can have really fun together... just you and me." Olga-Isabelle Malfoy was used to get what she wanted and she made sure everyone knew what she wanted. This behavior didn't make her awkward like other girls might be in the 40's.

Tom removed her hand. "Not today, Miss Malfoy."

She sighed and responded. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can call me Olga?"

Tom put on another dazzling smile and added with a sweet voice. "I'm afraid I'm going to continue to call you 'Miss Malfoy' because of the fact that I'm just a humble orphan and you are the daughter of the richest families in Great Britain. That wouldn't seem right." He gazed into her eyes under his lashes.

"Olga-Isabelle!" Abraxas Malfoy walked down the stairs with a slight annoyed look on his face. "What's going on here?" He asked, mostly to Tom.

"Miss Malfoy interrupted me with a chat when I made my way to the owlery." Tom explained.

"Mhm well Olga-Isabelle, you have a owl waiting for you in your dorm." Abraxas said. "One of the girls told me to find you. Apparently the owl is driving them nuts." He smirked. Olga-Isabelle sighed and sent a flirty gaze at Tom before she turned around and followed her brother back to the Slytherin dungeon.

…**.**

Tom bumped into Myrtle when he walked down the corridor. She was clearly upset, as usual. And Tom didn't care enough to find out what's her problem was. She was just a mudblood. He continued to walk in silence until he heard a voice.

"You are not bad looking. I guess you would make a small fortune if you let the guys pay you for 'special services'." Olive Hornby's voice cut through the silence. Tom guessed he was behind the corner.

"Be careful, Hornby, you are speaking to a prefect." Hermione Granger answered. Tom only heard her voice on Herbology when she was answering questions, with the right answers. That girl was a mystery for him, she wasn't like the other 'prize – to – be – wives'. He pushed away the strange feeling of admiration. She was just a girl, nothing more. Women meant trouble.

"What?" Olive Honby continued. Tom didn't knew the guy personally but he hadn't pictured Olive Hornby like this.

"You are a mudblood plus an orphan. That is probably the only way for you to stay alive after Hogwarts." Magic suddenly hit Tom in the chest. He was surprised by the dark edge and its powerfulness. Olive Hornby was nothing but a mediocrity and he shouldn't be able to produce such a strong magic. Did Granger produce the magic that was hitting him in the chest?

_Curiosity killed the cat._

He decided to step in for some reason. "Whats going on here?" Olive Hornby's eyes grew wider more at the sigh of Tom Riddle the Slytherin prefect. Tom sensed the decline of the magic in the air. It was like it suddenly was tamed.

"I didn't mean to offend Miss Granger, Mr prefect. I was about to leave." He stared into Tom's face but not into his eyes, waiting for permission. Tom nodded slightly and Hornby turned around. Tom watched him leave with mixed feelings. For some reason he was filled with rage and had trouble with controlling his own magic.

"Miss Granger" Hermione imitated Olive Hornby's voice and made Tom jump. He had almost forgotten her present in his deep thoughts. "Two minutes ago I was just a crumpet." She snorted contemptuously and turned around to look at Tom. He was aware of his almost slovenly appearance. Her eyes scanned him and she was surprised by the way the always so proper dressed Slytherin prefect was so untidy dressed.

He tucked his wand into his robe and was about to leave when Hermione put a hand on his arm. He froze from the touch. A dark memory came back to him.

_His ebony locks fell down in his forehead. Hermione sat down beside him and he was trying to wipe off his tears. Every time he blinked them away they seemed to come back twice as much. She put an fumbling arm around his shoulders._

"_Are you sorry about Dennis and Amy?" Hermione asked him. "I am. I wish it never happened. I wish I never was so evil." She continued and Hermione's own voice broke._

_Dennis and Amy? Those filthy sneaky people! Tom wasn't sorry for them. They hurt him and tried to hurt her... They deserved it, it was their own fault. Tom jumped away from her and stood up. His face changed in seconds, from eyes filled with tears to a growling face with anger. "Do you think I'm sorry for them? They deserved it." He breathed heavily and wiped away a couple of tears. Stupid emotions! If it wasn't for that horrible man he wouldn't cry like a baby._

"_No, I'm not sorry. I don't want to be sad but I can't help it." Hermione stared straight into his eyes and that made him uncomfortable. "What he did..." Tom made a new attempt without the stupid stuttering. "I mean what I had to do." His voice broke again and he cursed himself. "I can't tell you, I promised him..."_

"_Who?" asked Hermione but she got no reply. He couldn't say. It was something he was ashamed of. A sin._

"_It's our secret. A secret between me and him." Tom repeated voicelessly almost like a robot. His shoulders began to tremble again when the sobs came back._

_Hermione got up and walked over to him. "Don't be sad, it's Christmas." She tried to cheer him up and wrapped her arms around him. His tears made her shoulder wet. Christmas was a hard time every year because of everyone's joy and happiness but Tom was never allowed to feel the happiness. But it was worst at the new year's eve, the pain inside him was almost unbearable. He suspected it was his mother's death who was haunting him. He hated himself for caring about her... it was a weakness. Love is a weakness. The bond between a mother and her son is pure love. Tom never had the chance to experience that because of his mother death. She was a weak creature, she didn't deserve to be related to him. The heir of slytherin. He hated that weak and vague creature of his mother. But still the thought of her made him feel very strange... Was that love in some twisted way? _

"_Whatever 'he' did to you. He did something wrong." Hermione whispered into his ear and after hearing those calming words Tom snaked his arms around her and they hugged each other._

When he remembered it he felt humiliated. She had attacked him when he was unbalanced. He regretted the way he let her into his personal, private thoughts so easy. That witch had certain extraordinary talents.

"I'm curious, why did you defend me?" Hermione asked interested. "We haven't said a word to each others in 5 years-." She dropped the sentence and her stare became almost to intense. Tom had read about witches who seduced wizards with their eyes just to steal their powers. He gulped and kicked himself mentally for being scared of her eyes.

"I don't have the time, really." He said and he kept his voice cold. "Excuse me" With those words he leaft her alone. Tom didn't have the time with her, he had a very important thing to do. Just at the thought of it his heart started to race.

**...**

Lucia Stanford's tanned face became visible behind the corner. Her blue eyes lit up and she waved her hands to catch Hermione's attention. She was from the noble house of Stanford, a pureblood family known for their activities like 'mugglehunting'. But her parents were surprisingly open minded and had taught her to treat everyone equally. Even though she respected everyone she had a reputation to be very skin – deep. But everyone has their flaws and she was a rare friend on Hogwarts.

"I've been looking after you, Hermione!" She said happily and ran towards Hermione. Lucia stopped in front her and scanned Hermione. "Have you been in the library again?" Lucia asked and pointed at Hermione's bag. "The tests are over, it's a sunny Sunday with no lessons and you are in the library?" Lucia smiled.

"Well, it's a book I want to read before we go home." Hermione explained to her smiling friend.

"Same old Hermione. You are the same bookworm as always." Lucia said and shook her head. "But I think that's a part of your charm."

Hermione smiled a fake smile. She couldn't be happy right now with all the horrifying news she have received. Lucia jumped and pointed at her. "Wow look at that! You are smiling, girl. I don't think I've seen a smile on your face in months."

Lucia dragged Hermione along to Hogsmeade and into Honeydukes. Lucia always had her pockets filled with galleons and she loved to spend them on various sweets. Hermione didn't often buy sweets because of the fact that she barely had money to robes, (second hand of course) books, ingredients to her potion class, etc.

Lucia insisted on a butterbeer in Three Broomsticks. ("You must have a butterbeer when you are in Hogsmeade, Hermione") After that she just had to visit one of the fanciest dress robe shops in Hogsmeade. ("What? I'm a girl and I want to wear something else than those boring school uniforms.") The pile of robes grew almost to Hermione's own height and the sale assistant witch sent them a hateful glare.

"What do you think about this one?" Lucia asked again.

Hermione didn't look up from the book. "Very fancy."

"Yes it is." Lucia span around and admired herself in the mirror. Unfortunately she saw that Hermione didn't pay any attention at all. Instead she buried her nose into a book.

"Hey!" Hermione burst out when Lucia took the book away from her. "That's my book!"

"No it's not. It belongs to the library." Lucia danced around with the book in her hands. "So what is Hermione reading? Perhaps a romantic novel?" She opened the book on a random page and her eyes became wider when she saw the picture. It was a drawing of a human in transformation, the skin was inside out and the man was screaming a silent scream. The text bellow explained a spell.

"Give it back! It's for my essay in DADA." Hermione said scowling.

"Why do you need this nasty book for your essay?" Lucia said and scowled too. "Wait a minute the essay was supposed to be in yesterday..." Her mouth was formed like a perfect 'o' and she was confused.

"Professor Codrington gave me until Monday." Hermione lied. "He said he wanted to read my theories on the dark art." She pointed at the book. "The book is just for my research."

Lucia nodded and handed the book back to Hermione. "I believe you. But you must understand that I was wondering, that book is from the restricted section and..."

"Professor Codrington gave me permission to loan this book from the restricted section." Hermione said with a calming voice.

Lucia nodded again. "I'm sorry." She looked at the pile of dress robes. "We better put that back and go back to the castle." Lucia said trying to redirect her focus elsewhere.

Hermione tucked the book back in her bag and walked over to the pile. She was still a bit shaky so instead of using magic to put the clothes away she used the muggle way. She and Lucia walked back in silence. They didn't spoke nor look at each others until they were at the stair case.

Josephine Collingwood, a Ravenclaw student, ran down the stairs looking very worried.

"Hey, you the Gryffindor prefect!" She said and stopped in front of them. "Have you seen Myrtle?"

"Not since a couple of hours ago." Hermione said and tried to remember if she had met her afterward that.

Josephine Collingwood nodded. "Thanks anyway. Olive Hornby insulted her and she ran off. I'm a little worried."

"I can see if I find her." Hermione said.

Lucia Stanford rolled her eyes. "I will go and get dinner with Alice." She said and left them for the great hall.

Josephine watched her disappear. "Thank you for helping me, Granger."

"No problem. That's what we prefects are for."

…**.**


	9. Act9

Tom walked faster and faster down the halls. His heart raced so fast he almost thought it would pop out of his chest. He had never felt so nervous in his whole life, except for the first time Mr Daniels called him into his office. His eye twitched at the thought about it.

"_Whatever 'he' did to you. He did something wrong." _Hermione's voice echoed in his head. In his head?

Tom slipped into a bathroom. Not just any bathroom... in here was the entrance of the chamber of secrets. The mythical chamber Salazar Slytherin had built when the triviality between him and Gryffindor had escalated. Inside was the extremely magical and dangerous creature that only the heir of Slytherin was able to control. The creature was going to sift out all the muggleborns from the school and Salazar's noble ideology was going to rule once again. Tom felt a little pity that Albus Dumbledore was a pureblood wizard, he would be safe...

He entered the bathroom. Even if Tom was sure he was the heir of Slytherin, he felt extremely nervous. What if the creature didn't obey him and just ate him? Or what if he couldn't open the chamber? His mind worked fast and stopped at episodes in his life he wanted to forget. Why is it always the bad memories?

"_I see that you are staring at the cross." He took a pause to analyze the boys expression. "It saved me one time."_

_Tom raised a brow._

_Oh really?_

_Mr Daniels chuckled and looked at him just the way a uncle would look at his favorite nephew. But this nephew was a little bit unruly at the moment. _

Time changed but it was the same office.

"_Tom, Tom. You are fine young man, I know that. But you are a little full of yourself." Mr. Daniels smiled. _

_Tom wanted to punch him in the face, he wanted to wipe that __complacent_ _smile away from that disgusting face. But instead he sat there and took it without saying anything nor even change his face expression._

"_We have talked about this before.. Just because you study at that fancy private school dosen't mean you are better than us. You don't know anything. Do you want to know why?" Mr. Daniels face was stone. Once again he felt like a predator, waiting for his victim to make the wrong move and he would attack..._

_Tom looked up and stared straight into Mr Daniels's eyes. "No, I don't know why." He answered._

_Mr Daniels had apparently 'forgot' why Tom didn't know anything because he made another move to break down the boy in front of him. _

"_I don't like the way you look at me, into my eyes." He said. "Neither do I like your tone young man! Haven't you learned anything?" Mr Daniels asked and raised his voice._

"_I'm sorry, Mr Daniels." Tom said with a low voice._

"_Don't talk to me like that, boy! Did you became disrespectful at that fancy school?"_

"_No I'm not."_

"_Yes you are. I've been trying to release all your daemons from you, but they are coming back anyway. I guess I have to do something very drastic!"_

Tom pushed it away when Mr Daniels hand made an impact with his face. All those bruises. And another memory came to his mind. It was at a meadow...

"_100 years ago you would've been burned at the stake. But I guess the mental hospital offers electroshock treatment." Dennis snickered._

_Hermione's eyes was filled with fear and... confusion. She held a bird in her hand. "No, you don't know what you are talking about."_

_Amy ignored her. "What are you doing with the bird?"_

"_Nothing. He was ill and I helped him." Hermione responded. "Nothing... I did nothing! Please believe me, I did nothing!" _

Hermione's shouting rang in his ears when he opened his eyes, to his surprise, on the floor. Did he pass out? He stood up and wiped away some dust from his old school uniform. Why did he see all these memories, why all these voices? He stared into the mirror, touching his face. Was this also a dream? He pinched himself on the arm, it hurt. After a moment Tom's logical mind came to a conclusion, he was finally going mental.

But after all, the founders of Hogwarts and every of the most successful witches and wizards in history had been slight mental. And the fact that he opened the chamber of secrets just to gain the power of the Slytherin monster was very crazy... even Tom admitted it.

"Now or never, now or never..." He mumbled over and over again. His ebony locks fell down in his forehead. But the racing heart didn't want to slow down nor didn't his knees want to stop shaking. His hands searched after the entrance under the mirror but he didn't find it there. At the big washbasin, on the tap, he found a little carved in snake. It seemed like it was alive... That had to be the entrance.

"Open up!" He said in parseltongue.

Nothing happened.

Tom scowled in desperation. He bit his now sore lip and harrumphed. "Open up." He tried again in parseltongue.

Noises filled the silence as the washbasin started to move to reveal a black hole.

A door opened behind him. And a girl with red eyes and in a angry mood stepped out.

…**.**

Myrtle sat unhappy in a booth. Olive Hornby had always been a prick to her in all these years. But today's events was the straw that broke the camel's back. She always had trouble with controlling her emotions but when he laughed at her glasses and imitated her voice she couldn't stand it anymore and ran away from all of them.

When she had calmed down for a moment she met Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor prefect. Myrtle had always admired her, she was always the top of every class and pretty. Myrtle didn't have any of those qualities.

When Myrtle shouted at Hermione 'Let go of me you filthy orphan' she was even more surprised than Hermione. Did she just insult one of the few who talked to her nicely? (Rubeus Hagrid was one of them) Why did she suddenly feel so angry once again? She didn't have the time to find out why because Olive Hornby decided to show up again. And the rest was history.

So here she sat in the booth thinking about her (pathetic) life. When she heard a boy's voice and he said something in a strange language. Isn't she allowed to feel sorry for herself and mind her own business? It was probably Olive Hornby who was back again to haunt her.

"What do you think you are doing?" Myrtle asked angrily when she unlocked the door to her booth. But she never got the answer.

Big yellow eyes was the last thing she ever saw.

**...**

"My lord, the heir of Slytherin. I'm at your service." The female basilisk hissed in parseltongue. She held her eyes closed so he could stare at her.

"Do you swear to obey me?" He asked.

She nodded. "I will grant any of your wishes, My lord."

She reminded him of the beauty he once met in the forest. Both her and the basilisk was very modest and highly sophisticated. Plus Tom liked the 'My lord' thing. He liked to be 'somebody'. He wanted to prove everyone who he really was.

"What do you think you are doing?" A slight annoying voice asked behind Tom.

He turned around to put on his charm and lie to her. He had no idea on what to tell her with a giant snake hovering behind him. Actually this was kind of comical...

But he didn't have to care about that, when the basilisk's 'death stare' killed her. Tom didn't feel pity for her but wondered what would happen when someone actually found her body.

"My lord doesn't want any visitors." The basilisk hissed.

The basilisk cocked her head, it looked like she tried to remember something and suddenly she let out a surprised hiss. "Oh my, I didn't know Slytherin had two heirs. She added a chuckle in a form of a hiss. "I guess he wanted to hedge."

Tom had wandered to Myrtle's body during the basilisk's monologue. Actually he didn't listen to hear but he caught the part with two heirs. He spun around with a increasing worried feeling in his chest. Two heirs? Two people to control the Slytherin creature?

"But there is no other heir alive than me?" He asked and scanned the basilisk, he couldn't make out if she was lying because of her closed eyes.

"Oh yes there is another heir. In this school right at this moment. You are not alone, boy." The basilisk knew what she was talking about. She could sense another person with Salazar Slytherin's blood in it's veins.

Tom was furious. He had believed in all those years after he found out what family his mother descended from that he was the only one. That he was the chosen one. But no! Another stupid student in this school had taken his glory, the only thing he actually was proud of and somebody imbecile stained it with it's stupidity. He guessed it was Malfoy. That spoiled twatwho anyway had everything he ever could ask for.

"Who is it?" Tom asked the basilisk who was quite amused by his behavior and feelings.

The basilisk smiled a horrifying smile, showing her sharp teeth. "Oh I believe the other heir is on her way. She seems to be very concerned." She added and her smile faded.

Tom's jaw dropped "'On _her_ way... _she_ seems to be concerned'? Is it a woman?" A woman, a useless woman? But he couldn't ask the basilisk another question because the door to the bathroom slammed open and revealed the other heir.

The light from the corridor made her face hide in the shadows. But her curly and bushy hair lighten up. The angel gasped when saw Myrtle on the floor and Tom standing over her. The light played in golden highlights in her brown hair, making it look like a halo around her head. But her face was another history. Her mouth was curled into a angry growl, she scowled and in her eyes danced fire. Before Tom had realized what she had done, she took five angry steps towards him and stopped in front of him. Only to slap him on his left cheek.

"What have you done to her, you monster?!" She demanded to know and tucked out her wand from her wand holster. Tom was surprised she had one, girls usually never wore wand holsters.

"My lady, that was quite an entrance." The basilisk bowed respectfully.

Hermione turned her head to the right and for the first time she noticed the huge snake who at the moment was curled around the big hole were the washbasin actually would stand. The fact that she had missed the giant snake and the hole in the floor was almost impossible. But now when the basilisk had all her attention she almost jumped two meters up in the air. She backed fast into the wall to get as far away from the huge snake as possible.

"It looks like my name didn't precede me this time, sadly. But I guess you only had eyes for him." Another chuckle slipped through her mouth. Tom and Hermione took a step away from each other.

"My lady. I would like to introduce myself even if you seem to be very frightened by me. My name is Gratiana Prisca Domitius." She bowed again very gracefully.

Even though the basilisk was a frightening sight, Hermione couldn't help but allow herself to be dazzled by her charm. The basilisk was indeed surprisingly sophisticated.

"But how do I understand you?" Hermione asked in the English language. She had picked up the hissing under the basilisk's words and was confused by her ability to hear words in the hissing.

"In my humble option I think it's the Slytherin blood in your veins. As for me understanding the English language; Let me say, Salazar was an excellent teacher. But sadly your Slytherin blood has been more diluted than his. She cocked her head in Tom's direction. "This makes you understand parseltounge but you cannot speak it."

"Wait, she doesn't have the noble Slytherin blood in her veins. She is a mudblood!" Tom said furious. Of all the people in school it had to be her. That girl he first met on the orphanage. He almost hoped that the other heir would be Abraxas Malfoy instead.

Gratiana sighed. "She has very fine blood." She ringled snaked closer Hermione, making her whimper of fear. Gratiana smelled in the air around Hermione. "She is indeed a pureblood. More purer than you, Mr. Riddle." She said almost wryly.

Tom growled.

Gratiana spoke again. "I'm very old, My lord, too old to observe your blood statuses. I was brought to this world only to serve the heir of Slytherin but it turned out to be two of them." She snaked around on the floor. "Salazar never gave me any direct orders. I guess he never had the time as Gryffindor kicked him out of the school. Which makes this interesting, My lady, you belongs to the house of the lions, am I right?"

"Yes." Hermione said almost inaudible.

"As I understand it, It's not unusual to be... lets say mixed." Gratiana smiled another of her horrifying smiles.

Both Tom and Hermione didn't know if they should laugh or just simply cry. To run was also a option.

"I think both of you have a lot to discuss. Come back when you are ready. I am very sure that this constellation will turn out to be very interesting." She started to snake down the hole.

When she was gone from their eyesight she ran to the hole. "Wait!" Hermione shouted into the hole. "Do you expect something from us now?"

"I'm not the one who is expecting something, you should expect something from me. After all your other half opened the chamber." The washbasin covered the hole magically, and it became silent.

"Other half?" Hermione repeated to herself. She didn't like it even if it seemed in a strange way to be natural to call Tom her other half.

Tom on the other hand wished he had pushed her down the hole before it was too late.

…**.**

"I can go perfectly fine by myself!" Hermione said annoyed when Tom almost dragged her out from the bathroom.

"I don't doubt that." He said shortly and continued to drag her down the corridor. "We have to get as far as possible away from here."

After a couple of corridors and corners later Hermione's legs started to hurt. "Not so fast." She protested.

He hesitated but slowed down.

"Is she dead?" Hermione refereed to Myrtle.

"I'm afraid so." He replied and stopped in the corridor, still holding his arms around her waist.

"At least she didn't suffer. A basilisk stare isn't painful death, I guess everything turned black." Hermione said matter – of – fact.

Tom nodded.

"But what if Professor Dippet wants to question us?" Hermione's heart started to race again and she wandered with her eyes. Suddenly she felt his cold hand gripping her chin, making her eyes focus on his.

"We will get through this. We just have to tell the same story." He knew that if she said something he would be doomed and Albus Dumbledore would be pleased. He would finally be able to kick him out of school. So he did his best to dazzle her.

Hermione nodded. But became suddenly aware of how big his gray eyes was. She had forgot how he screamed 'mudblood' at her half an hour before. It was just his eyes and long lashes that mattered.

So this is why almost every girl in school are obsessed with Tom Riddle. She attempted to push him away.

A high squeal interrupted them. Both of them turned to find Lucia Stanford with Alice Bennet at the corner. From their point of view this looked very wrong. Tom had his arm around Hermione's waist and he held her chin while Hermione had placed her hands on his chest.

Indeed it looked like they were about to kiss, something Lucia pointed out.

"I'm not going to bother you." She winked.

**Another chapter to it's end. And I managed to put in some "Hermione/Tom action" ^^ When I re – read the chapter again I realized it was kinda wierd... What do my readers think?**

**Trailer: ** watch?v=m8J6S-gHD7A

**Gratiana** -From the Roman name _Gratianus_, which meant "grace" from Latin _gratus_.

_I've always portrayed__ the snakes in this story to be very gracefully and sophisticated (The beauty, Nagini and Gratiana) And the basilisk must be the queen of gracefulness!_

**Prisca** - Feminine form of _Priscus_, a Roman family name which meant "ancient" in Latin.

_If the basilisk knew Salazar Slytherin she has to be ancient._

**Domitius** -Roman family name which was probably derived from Latin _domitus_ meaning "having been tamed".

_She is a predator and shouldn't be under the command a the heir, naturally. Which makes her tamed._


	10. Act10

"I've already told you two thousand times; I was not going to kiss Tom Riddle"

"Yes you were. Please admit it already!" Lucia's eyes shone in excitement. She had repeated the question at least a hundred times this morning. Even though Hermione always answered the same.

"No, I'm not."

"Ha! You admitted it at the moment you said 'no I'm not'" Lucia was euphoric when she realized that she was right.

"You are blushing, Hermione."

"No, I'm certainly not!"

"Yes you are. Besides I'm not blaming you, he is probably the most perfect human god have created for us women. Actually when you're thinking about it he is more than a human, I think he's a god!"

"You may think he looks god. Our relationship between me and him is nothing more than professional."

"Wow relationship! How long have you hid this for me?"

"I have nothing to hide, Lucia."

"Good. Tell me, is he good at kissing?"

Hermione stood up and left the great hall. She left her unfinished breakfast and a snickering Lucia Stanford behind. The best friends were so unlike each other and why they actually get along was a mystery.

"Miss prefect!"

Hermione turned around to see Armando Dippet, the headmaster walk down the stairs with Tom Riddle behind him.

"I guess you have heard the latest news, Miss- Such a tragedy." Armando Dippet peered at her and tried to remember her name.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I don't know what tragedy you are talking about." Hermione replied polite.

Suddenly Armando Dippet looked like he had come to a realization, he remembered the name of the top student and Gryffindo prefect! "Miss Granger, a terrible murder has taken place in this school. The Slytherin monster has been released and a girl has been killed." His voice was very dramatic. "But fortunately, Mr. Riddle came to me last night and had information about who the responsible was. The Slytherin heir has been captured and the board of the school is going to be pleased with our fast intervention." Armando Dippet smiled contentedly. "But that doesn't mean I've forgot you, Miss... "

"Granger, sir." Hermione corrected him.

"Yes, Granger. Mr. Riddle told me about your assistance in the capture."

Hermione's eyes grew wider. What did he actually mean by saying 'assistance in the capturing'?

But Armando Dippet kept on talking without noticing her behavior.

"You and Mr. Riddle can find a Hogwarts Honors Award in the trophy room each, this evening. Actually, I would love to have a great ceremony, but after the horrible murder I don't think the girls parents would like that." He tinkered with a big diamond ring on his right index finger.

Hermione realized she was supposed to say something here; "I appreciate that, Professor Dippet."

For the first time Tom opened his mouth. "I have to leave for class, Professor Dippet." His polite voice hung in the air before Hermione understood.

"Yes, me too. I have transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore." She said.

"Oh of course. You are not top students for nothing." Armando Dippet shook Tom's hand but contented himself with just nodding at her. He retreated back to the great hall. When he reached the opening he gazed at the teachers' table. Professor Albus Dumbledore sat beside Mrs. Dyce, the librarian, clearly discussing something related to books.

He turned his head back and saw Tom Riddle drag Hermione Granger away, rather violent. A couple of years old memory came to his mind.

_Dumbledore passed in Armando Dippet's office, he was obviously stressed._

"_Slow down, Albus. It's going to be mark of your footsteps on the floor, if you're not sitting down." Armando chuckled at his own poor joke._

_Albus let out a sigh and sat down. "I'm telling you this Armando. The muggle supervisor on his orphanage had files about his strange behavior. One was pretty bad, a bed had caught on fire after a fight."_

"_Relax Albus, it was just experimental magic. All kids in his age are doing it." Armando tried to calm him down. _

"_But this is different! It's not like the others, it seems like he could control it". Albus took a breath to continue. "He and another muggle had a fight and he takes revenge. You remember when I told you, he's collecting trophies. Stealing things."_

"_But Albus." Armando interrupted him. "Every kid steals once. Besides I thought you made it clear for him that stealing wasn't allowed in Hogwarts"_

"_Yes I did." Albus admitted._

"_So what are you fighting about then?" _

"_He's not like the other kids. I think he was a part of the battering of Olive Hornby." _

"_Are you serious? Olive Hornby fell down the stairs, it was a tragic accident. Not a battering!"_

"_It wouldn't surprise me if he was involved. Olive Hornby had insulted him just before..."_

"_.. Albus this is a serious_ _accusation. The boy is only twelve years old."_

"_It's not impossible, the first grades learns the spell 'wingardium leviosa'..."_

_At this point Armando Dippet lost it. "That's outrageous! Have you seen his grades? Have you witnessed his magical powers? This boy is something special, he __has__that__! It wouldn't surprise me if he is the youngest minister of magic, England have ever seen, twenty years from now."_

"_I don't doubt his magical powers nor his intelligence. I'm concerned about his classmates safety. I think we should keep an eye on him." Albus replied._

_Armando Dippet shook his head. "Professor Dumbledore with all the respect, __I believe you have received too little sleep." He opened the door and gestured to Albus to leave. "Come back tomorrow when you are rested."_

_Albus accepted it with a sigh. "Goodnight, sir."_

Armando remembered another meeting in his office a year ago. Dumbledore had been talking about Tom Riddle again. He was against Armando Dippet's choice of prefects. For Armando it was a obvious to choose Tom Riddle, the boy was a top student. Dumbledore was concerned and didn't want to give him too much power... He had also mentioned his concerns about the girl who was living at the same orphanage as him. Hermione Granger.

But Armando pushed it away. He didn't want the the trouble in dealing with it.

**...**

"Get of me!" Hermione whispered angrily.

Tom didn't answer. Instead he dragged her into the bathroom were the entrance to the chamber of secrets hides. He finally let her go.

"Why did you have to drag me into this mess, by saying I 'assisted you in the capturing'?" She asked him furious.

He smiled lightly. "Haven't you figured that one out, yet, 'Miss Prefect'?" His smile became wider. "I only did it so you couldn't blackmail me without reveal yourself."

"You... you.." Hermione was to angry to find anything ugly enough to call him. "I trusted you!"

He sighed. "Why are you so mad? You got yourself a trophy."

"I don't care about trophies!"

_Yes you do, every girls are the same._

"Our dear headmaster is happy. He can tell the board, he has captured the responsible one fast. He's not going to investigate this more. Armando Dippet cares too much about his reputation. Did you even see that he didn't notice, that you didn't know about the murder until he told you about it? He's believing this story too much, that he is turning blind." Tom said and raised a brow. Boy genius did it again, saving the day as usual.

"I didn't want to be a part of this anyway." Hermione said half – heatedly. "But who did you blame? Where did you get the evidence?" Even though Hermione didn't like this, she was impressed. Tom had manage to lie straight into the headmaster's face and blame another student.

"It's a third year who likes to have wild 'pets'." Tom's face twisted lightly.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, actually he kept his 'pet' in the Slytherin dungeons. And the spider, in this case, was big and hairy enough to convince Armando Dippet that it was the Slytherin monster. I guess it's because Acromantulas are so... scary looking."

"Wait a minute... Did this third year keep an Acromantula in the Slytherin dungeons?"

"Yes." Tom rolled his eyes at her. "To be considered as a smart witch, you are very slow."

Hermione didn't like to be called slow. She had worked hard to gain the reputation of being a smart witch, probably the brightest on Hogwarts since Rowena Ravenclaw. She didn't have money, her brain was everything she had.

"Thank you so much for that." Her words dripped with sarcasm. Hermione turned on her heel and left him.

But she noticed annoyed his footsteps behind her when she strode back to her common room. She walked faster and noticed his footsteps keeping up the pace. She ran around the corner and tucked out her wand.

When Tom rounded the corner he found her standing ready with her wand, pointing at him.

"Are you going to hex me?" he asked her with a amused tone.

"Depends on." Hermione answered. "It depends on what you are going to do next... You followed me, why?" Hermione continued. "You know, I can hex you and throw your lifeless body into that broom closet." She pointed to the right, were fortunately a broom closet was placed.

Tom didn't have the chance to answer. Another voice drifted around the corner. A voice that was very familiar. Both Hermione and Tom recognized the high pitched voice, the voice of the at the moment awfully annoying Olga-Isabelle Malfoy. It seemed like she was talking to someone and judging by the other voice that was answering, things could turn out ugly. Hermione didn't want to explain to Olga-Isabelle Malfoy why she was pointing her wand at Tom Riddle... alone in the corridor.

This time Hermione dragged Tom away, and into the broom closet. It was the only place they could hide at. She shut the door behind him one second before Olga-Isabelle came walking through the corridor.

"Why are we hiding in a broom closet?" Tom asked her confused but with an amusing tone in his voice.

"Shut up. Wait until she leaves."

"I have no space here, and I'm almost losing my balance." He said.

"Don't whine so much." Hermione replied. "I've got a broom in my back and I can't breath."

Tom made a move. "No, I'm serious." Brooms around them started to fall on them and he lost his balance. Hermione gripped after his robe to keep him in the closet. But she failed.

He fell out of the closet with brooms falling around him. And unfortunately, Hermione landed on his chest which made him lose his breath. Olga-Isabelle turned around confused at the sound of clattering brooms.

"This is not what it looks like." Hermione assured her with a false peal in her voice. She jumped of him and helped him to get up.

"We're just- eh.. Tom, this broom closet seems to be very... safe! For the... brooms and the..." Hermione's voice broke and her bad half – heart explanations hung in the air before it faded away.

Olga Isabelle raised a brow. "Yes, the brooms needs to be safe." She said with sarcasm. Before she backed away from them. It seemed like she didn't want to be infected by a disease. Which in this case was, Hermione Granger.

"Why is she always around me?" Tom asked himself. Hermione wasn't sure if she should answer that question.

Instead Hermione changed the subject. "Hey! I never found out who the third year with the Acromantula was." She asked him instead to clear her mind from the disaster.

He chuckled. "Haven't you guessed it? He's in your house." Hermione stared at him. "His name is Rubeus Hagrid. Or the elephant boy as I'm referring him to." He smiled and showed his perfect teeth in an angelic smile.

Hermione hit herself in her forehead. No not Hagrid. He was a sweet boy. Hermione liked him, he was always so polite. And actually a great friend even though he was younger than her. He didn't deserve this!

_It itched in her hands._

She slapped him on his left chin, hard.

"You deserved it!" Hermione said before she left him, furious.

**...**

Tom watched the angry female prefect leave. It hurt on his cheek.

_Women. You don't know what you are going to do with them._


	11. Act11

Hermione was the last girl to leave the dorm this year. She had forgot a book in the dorm and hurried up. She found the book on her nightstand, but a small wrapped present on her bed caught her eye. She didn't remember it being there before...

_To Hermione Granger._

She picked it up and unwrapped it.

Inside was a small silver bracelet with a beautiful huge blue stone. A note fell out.

_Dear Miss. Hermione._

_I accidentally stumbled upon this bracelet. After a bit searching I found out that it belonged to your mother. So it is my duty to return it to you._

_A.P.W.B.D_

A.P.W.B.D? Who was that? Why did this person send her mother's bracelet... if it had belonged to her.

"Hermione, did you fall asleep up there?" Alice shouted from downstairs.

Hermione shrugged and went downstairs to the waiting Alice Bennet. Before she boarded the Hogwarts Express, she had an important conversation. And couldn't focus on a silly little bracelet.

…**.**

Hermione tried to smile a warm smile to Rubeus Hagrid. The third year who had been expelled and practically thrown out of Hogwarts' education. For a crime he didn't commit...

Every time Hermione looked into the honest eyes of Hagrid, she felt guilty, very guilty. She was the one who was supposed to get expelled. But Armando Dippet had rushed the investigation and he didn't see all errors in the story. Armando Dippet always thought about _his_ reputation.

"Are you going to be all right, Rubeus?" asked Hermione. She was deeply worried about him. He had actually nowhere to go after his father's death last year.

"Don't worry, Miss Prefect. Professor Dumbledore managed to let me stay on Hogwarts as an assistant to the forest ranger." Rubeus assured her.

"I hope Ogg take good care of you." Hermione said and put an hand on his lower arm, instead of his shoulder. Rubeus was to tall.

"I'm sure he will. At least I get to stay at Hogwarts." His voice changed emotionally. Like he was not so far from tears.

Hermione also wanted to cry. He didn't deserve this, Rubeus had never hurt anyone, neither his spider. "If someone treats you bad... you know who you are going to send an owl."

"Of course, Miss Prefect." He noticed the tears in her eyes. "Don't cry, I will manage fine."

"I Know. I just think this whole situation is wrong. You shouldn't get expelled. I believe that you are innocent."

Tears rose in Rubeus' eyes and his face became red. Before Hermione realized he gave her a bear hug.

"Thank you."

…**. **

Hermione's mood changed when she headed to the prefect's Clarence. Not because she didn't like to patrol and listen to the others prefects and the head boy/girl, it was Tom Riddle. He just simply had to show up behind her and force her into a conversation.

"I saw you talking with the elephant boy." Riddle said and snickered when they patrolled in the express.

"I don't want to talk with you!" Hermione snarled at Riddle and reproved a couple of first years for running in the corridor.

"I find it fascinating that you care for him so emotionally. If I were you I wouldn't even care about talking with him."

"Maybe _I_ am a better Prefect than you!" Hermione put emphasis on 'I'.

"Maybe..." He said and left her to deal with a couple of fighting fourth years. She growled.

…**.**

Hermione walked towards the entrance to the muggle world. She expected nothing more than despair in the muggle world. With a world war racing in the war – torn Europe.

She was right. There was despair and depression in the air. People hurried with stressed looks on their faces. A girl from the orphanage waited for Hermione and Tom, who showed up a couple of seconds later.

The girl put a warm smile on her face when Hermione came towards her. "Welcome back, Hermione. Oh my you've grown to look so beautiful." She said to cheer Hermione up, who looked a little depressed.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"I hope Tom took good care of you." She said, but actually hoped Tom stayed away from Hermione during the terms.

"I'm fine, thank you." Hermione didn't like to return. The guilt was going to eat her alive when she returned the to the orphanage. In every dream was Zack Baker, Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson's faces going to haunt her. While Rubeus Hagrid asked he why she never told the truth.

…**.**


	12. FOURTH PART, Act12, 1945

1945

His head was pounding. And his vision was blurry.

_I am Lord Voldemort._

"Do you hear me, boy?" Mr Daniels was standing over the beaten Tom. "You are not even worthy to lick the dirt off her shoes!"

Tom moaned to answer when Mr Daniels' foot collided with his face. "You are going to leave that girl alone with your witchcraft!"

_Witchcraft? So comical, she is the witch!_

"Talk to me!" Mr Daniels lifted the almost unconscious Tom Riddle in his collar.

_I am Lord Voldemort, you are the one who's nothing, you muggle!_

"You study on that fancy private school, but that doesn't make you something! I have read all about your so called _antics _before I started working here. I know what you have been doing!" Mr Daniels shook him. "Only god can give you a fair judgment."

Mr Daniels pushed him into the wall of the stone chamber, which was located in the basement of the orphanage.

"I am Lord Voldemort." His low voice was almost inaudible.

"What did you say, boy?"

"I _am_ Lord Voldemort!"

Mr Daniels chuckled. "You call yourself a 'lord'?"

"You are the one who's nothing!" His vision was extremely blurry and the pain was everywhere in his body.

Mr Daniels face twisted. "You haven't learn anything yet? You are going to spend the rest of the day in this cellar!"

He walked out and locked the heavy door. Before he headed upstairs, Mr Daniels made the sign of the cross.

"May god have mercy on your soul."

…**.**

Tom sat alone in the dark. It hurt in his face and his back, actually it hurt everywhere in his body. He cursed himself for not being able to shut his own mouth. No, he just had to reveal his secret identity! Because he wasn't just Tom Riddle anymore...

..no he was so much more. He was Lord Voldemort, the heir of Slytherin and the leader of the new formed society... the death eaters.

**...**

Seconds passed in a blur... but eventually they became minutes. And the minutes turned into one hour, or was it just only 30 minutes, 10 minutes?

His throbbing headache almost killed him.

_I am Lord Voldemort. He is going to pay!_

He chuckled softly. His ring with the black stone illuminated in the dim light. They got what they deserved. They all got what they deserved, eventually. Revenge was so sweet. He almost forgot his headache... almost.

The onyx stone shimmered. The strange carved in symbol held a secret, but _he_ didn't know it. The best way to keep a secret is to let it be visible for the whole world, but not to actually let out it's a secret. Symbols all over the world witness about ancient secrets... waits to get discovered, just like _his_ ring. But _he_ didn't know it held a secret...

The fable was the enigma, can he know the truth, without knowing the existence of the secret?

…**.**


	13. Act13

Hermione, the seventh year, studied herself in the mirror, with a almost childish feeling of proud. The head girl badge sat on her left side of her uniform, close to her heart.

The red closed curtains around all the beds, told her no one in her dorm was awake yet. She returned to study herself with the badge. Armando Dippet's choice of Head Girl/Boy this year was obvious. Both Hermione Granger and Tom Riddle scored over 97 % on the OWLs and had history of being prefects before...

Someone started to move behind the curtains. And after a minute a very sleepy Lucia Stanford became visible.

Her eyes grew wider. "But oh dear, Hermione, you cant wear those mix matched socks!"

Hermione stared down at her feet. A blue and a yellow sock was placed on them._(A/N; Why blue and yellow? Because the author is Swedish!)_

"What's wrong with them?" She asked. "They are not visible in my shoes."

Lucia Stanford had grown up in a very healthy family and couldn't dream about having mix matched socks. Even if they weren't visible in her shoes. She sighed and decided to change the subject. "What are you doing up this early? I thought the classes started after lunch today."

Hermione put on her shoes while she answered. "I'm going out. I am supposed to meet a person in Hogsmeade."

Lucia's eyes became even more wider. "But isn't it early? Can't you wait an hour or so?" She yawned again and wanted to go back to sleep.

"Not really, it's very important." Hermione replied. "Go back to sleep, Lucia. It looks like you are going to fall down unconscious any second." She added with a smile.

"You know what, Hermione, that must be the smartest thing I've ever heard you say... besides from all the smart things you're practically spitting out in class." Lucia yawned again and curled up in her bed again.

"Sleep well." Hermione left the Gryffindor tower and walked to the great hall to grab some toast.

"_Hi, I am Lucy!"_

Hermione turned around but didn't find a living soul in the corridor, neither a ghost. She turned her attention to the nearby paintings. But they were either sleeping or nowhere to be seen. After a moments of hesitation she sighed and brushed it off. Probably Peeves pulling a prank.

She raised a brow at the surprisingly many seventh graders in the hall, weren't they supposed to catch some sleep? A few from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sat by their tables, some of them read, others played chess. The students from Gryffindor was the quidditch team.

But it was the Slytherin group she scanned carefully. Tom Riddle, Abraxas Malfoy, Black, Nott, Avery and Crabbe sat and talked silently. She wanted to know what they were talking about but at the same time she didn't. Their present gave her a creepy feeling. As she stared at them, Crabbe looked up to stare back at her. He smiled a unpleasant smile. But after a hiss from Tom Riddle he immediately turned his gaze down. Crabbe seemed to be ashamed.

Hermione shivered. Her blood was suddenly turned into ice. That couldn't be good! Tom Riddle with new supporters, that wasn't good at all, it was actually very scary.

Tom Riddle looked up and his eyes caught her, still facing _his_ group. It was definitely something wrong with his eyes... they were not really the deep gray anymore. But eye color couldn't change!

She rushed out of the great hall.

…**.**

Crabbe stared at a spot behind Malfoy and suddenly he started to smile. "Even though she is a mudblood, she is very easy on the eye." He murmured under his breath.

Tom immediately knew who he was talking about. Even if he couldn't see her behind him, he felt her magic swirling in the air. It was extremely powerful comparing to the other students and even some of the teacher's. He knew how the magic danced around her like an aura, an aura with dark edges. He mentally kicked himself for caring so much about her to be familiar with her magic.

"Beware Crabbe, she might infect you with the illness of being a mudblood." Abraxas Malfoy said and with a theatrical voice.

Why did that sentence make Tom so angry? Why was he suddenly filled with rage when they insulted her for her blood status? And when they looked at her like that... Tom let out a small hiss and they immediately became silent.

He looked up and realized that she still stood in the middle of the hall with toast in her hand. The way she was staring at him... He felt uneasy and uncomfortable.

…**. **

Hermione took a bite on her toast and walked through the Hogwarts gates. It was sunny with cold winds. The summer was gone for this year a long time ago. It had been a cold autumn and the winter was freezing. But snow was nowhere to be seen. It was only two weeks left to the Holidays. She pulled her coat closer to her body as she noticed a movement behind her.

A group of people was walking behind her. Nothing to be scared of. Even though she was early today. She wasn't the first to head to Hogsmeade. But as their auras of magic drew closer, she noticed the disturbingly dark edges. She turned her head almost 180 degrees to find out who the owners of the dark auras was...

She wasn't really surprised when she saw Tom Riddle's Slytherin group behind her. A lump of nervousness started to form in her stomach. She walked faster and remembered what happened last time Tom Riddle stalked after her in fifth year. Even though it had turn out to be quiet innocently, she had suffered from the humiliation for weeks. Olga-Isabelle spread the news fast and the day after was the school filled with gossips and conspiracy theories about the two perfects.

The stares and the ostracism became more unbearable after each day. Hermione gritted her teeth at the horrible memories. She decided it was not worth it to experience _that_ again and she disassociated herself from him. Something he found irritating in the beginning but he left her alone after a few weeks. Hermione assumed Mr Daniels, the manager of the orphanage, talked to Tom Riddle after she had shouted at him to leave her alone when he had forced his company on her _again. _

He was different after that. _Cold_. Almost _Inhuman_. Filled with _hatred,_ towards her?

Hermione would never allow herself to say it out load but she felt a bit ashamed to reject him like that. It wasn't so bad after all? He wasn't really being mean to _her_ but to Rubeus Hagrid and Myrtle. And the other kids from the Orphanage.

The auras of magic drew closer. Hermione walked faster, she could see Hogsmeade now. Not so far away. She calculated fast in her head and came to the conclusion that the group behind her involved Avery, Malfoy, Crabbe and Black.

"Hey Granger!" She assumed it was Avery but she didn't intend to turn around and answer him.

She sensed the energy of a spell flew towards her. She sensed the 'stupefy' just in time to dodge. Hermione turned around and put up a protecting ward around herself. The group of Slytherins snickered, clearly enjoying it. Everyone except for Abraxas Malfoy who seemed to be bored, or he just had plastered a perfect poker face on his face features.

Avery spoke again. "Granger, I'm talking to you." Crabbe giggled.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked and raised a brow.

Avery gave Crabbe a push, to make him stop giggling, and continued. "I was just wondering why the Gryffindor prefect was walking _alone_ to Hogsmeade." With sarcasm dripping from every word.

"None of your business, Avery." Hermione replied coldly. She turned around to leave. Stupid decision. Subconsciously, Hermione hoped she had enough of respect from being prefect to make them leave her alone. But Hermione was only being foolishly cocky. The group wouldn't let her go so easily... Her protecting ward disappeared in thin air. This wasn't good.

Hermione sensed a dark curse coming towards her in lightning speed. She immediately ducked not a second to late. And the air was suddenly filled with the smell of burning hair! The heat on her head distracted her from noticing how the spell hit a wall of a nearby house, leaving a black mark. She brought up her wand to her head and extinguished the fire with a simple 'aguamenti'. But sadly almost nothing of her hair remained.

Another voice distracted Hermione from grieving the loss of her hair. "What is going on here?" The voice of a man in his middle forties cut through the silence (and Crabbes hysterical giggles).

"Well?" He asked the group of Slytherins. "How come, I wake up by the sound of a little _schoolboy_ hurls a curse at my wall?" He said angrily.

None of them answered. Instead they retreated back the grounds of Hogwarts. It was quiet pathetic to see them slouch away.

The angry wizard turned his attention to the almost hairless Hermione. "Are you okay, Missy?" He asked her and eyed the burned ashes of her hair.

"I am fine, except for the hair." She responded and pointed at her hair. She blinked a few angry tears back. _It's not the right time to cry, Hermione!_ She told herself.

He nodded slightly. "It's not your fault about the hair. But I think I can help you, my wife is a master in the art of potions." He gestured to her to follow him. She did, a bit vigilant.

But she didn't have to worry. The wizard and his wife was lovely people, especially the witch who made the potion while she assured Hermione her hair would grow back. And it did. Hermione watched amused when her hair grew back in a surprising speed. Her normally shoulder length hair became longer, about 8 inch longer. She decided to take care of that later and thanked the lovely couple before she left.

…**.**

Josephine Collingwood waited at the Hog's head. She felt nervous, not only because of the other guests stared at her, it was because of her reason. She had suspicions and important information.

She believed someone had killed her friend, Myrtle. This someone, was the one and only Tom Riddle. Josephine Collingwood had heard the Slytherin prefect talk with his group about the elimination of Myrtle, who apparently came across something valuable. Something he didn't reveal.

Josephine didn't know where to go when she didn't have any evidence. No one would believe her when she accused the top student of murder. Especially _not_ Armando Dippet! But it was when Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor prefect, came to her mind. Hermione Granger had helped her before with Myrtle and she clearly disassociated herself from Tom Riddle.

Maybe she would believe her.

…**.**

Hermione eyed Josephine Collingwood, the Ravenclaw student. They hadn't spoke since Myrtle's death and Hermione was surprised to find a letter from Josephine two days ago. In the letter had Josephine explained she needed to talk with her private and suggested The Hog's head.

Josephine didn't bring up her cause immediately, instead she choose to small talk.

"Your hair look nice." She said. "It looks longer..."

"Thank you." Hermione replied. A terrible migraine started to form. She added. "You wanted to talk with me. As I understood it, it seemed to be rather important." Why would Josephine Collingwood drag her all the way to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade to talk about her hair?

"Yes, I have an important cause." She said and twisted her fingers. Her nervous appearance was obvious.

The following minutes passed in thick silence.

"So... ?" Hermione asked. She started to get annoyed by this silence. Spit it out already!

"Oh... ?" Josephine's mouth was formed like an perfect 'o'. It looked like she had forgot Hermione. "Yes, I think Myrtle's death wasn't caused by Hagrid." Josephine looked around and lowered her voice. "I've heard Tom Riddle, the Slytherin prefect, boast about him being the 'murderer'."

Hermione took in a sharp breath. Was Tom starting to become reckless?

"He said that her murder was surmountable." Josephine started to sob. Her shoulders shook and her eyes swam over.

Hermione stiffened at the sight. What was she supposed to do? She cant just let her cry like that. The other guests' stares is becoming unpleasant.

She placed a hand on Josephine's trembling shoulder. "Myrtle was happy to have such a good friend like you." She said and kicking herself for the cliche. Couldn't she come up with something better?

"I didn't know where to go." Josephine said. "No one would believe me. You were one of the few who actually cared for her."

Hermione nodded. Josephine was probably right.

"She didn't deserve to die like that..." Josephine kept rambling and didn't notice a guest by a nearby table, listening very careful.

When the figure in dark cloak walked past them, Hermione sensed familiar magic. No it couldn't be...

Once again had the Slytherin prince manage to nestle himself into others business.


	14. act14

Hermione had watched over Josephine Collingwood in over twelve days. From the second Josephine left the Ravenclaw tower in the morning to the minute she entered it in the evening. Luzia Stanford hadn't been to happy with the new arrangement. It appeared like the wealthy Stanford couldn't bear the presence of a Collingwood.

But Luzia Stanford wasn't in danger. Josephine was. Every second since Tom Riddle disguised, had walked past them in the Hog's Head. Maybe even before that. Hermione wondered how in the hell he had been at the right place in right time. How was that even possible? Had he been stalking Josephine? Or had he been stalking Hermione... ? The cold feeling in her stomach increased. It wasn't possible. Maybe he was disguised just like in the Hog's Head.

The watch – over Josephine almost every second out of class started to pay off. Hermione started to suffer from nightmares and the well known signs of paranoia became more noticeable every day. It went so far Hermione started to think Tom Riddle or any of his new 'friends' hid in shadows and broom closets. Her grades started to fall in class, she neglected her Prefect/Head Girl duties.

Day ten, Hermione started to considering to just 'oblivate' Josephine in front of Tom Riddle to make him stop hunting her. But she brushed it off every time, embarrassed.

Sadly Hermione was only a human and couldn't protect Josephine. That fact became her fall.

…**.**

Josephine finished her essay in the library. Hermione sat beside her with her face buried in her hands. She had been complaining about her terrible headaches ever since that day in the Hog's Head. Both Luzia and Josephine had told her to got to the hospital wing. Josephine were sure Madam Wakefield would take care of Hermione and cure her. However Hermione never went to Madam Wakefield, she said '_its only a migraine, nothing to worry about!' _But Josephine suspected it was more then just a headaches Hermione were dealing with.

20 minutes ago had Luzia Stanford left them, which made Josephine relieved. Luzia had thrown nasty glares and malicious comments at her when Hermione wasn't watching. She was busy with reading 'The Prophet', Hermione followed all Grindewald's steps from the papers. More news about him had gotten out the last months. Either way Grindewald's forces were leaking to the papers or 'The Prophet' made up some stories just to sell single copies. Hermione scanned the news every day with critical eyes, she didn't believe _everything_ she read in the papers. Only fools did, she felt.

Josephine wrote down the last sentence, in the silent library, when the sudden noise of a snoring Hermione made Josephine jump. Hermione seemed to need the sleep. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was unhealthy pale. Josephine decided to leave her, not bother to wake her up. She figured when Hermione was able to catch some sleep, she didn't want to wake her. The migraine might come back.

She walked out of the library after a quick good bye to Mrs. Dyce. Josephine felt very proud of herself when she thought about her essay. Professor Dumbledore would probably give it an 'O'. Josephine was also relieved to walk by herself, Hermione's almost hysterical worry about her was tiring. She was sure she was able to walk by herself!

A hand over her mouth and a wand pressed in to her neck made her change her mind.

"You don't have to be afraid, Collingwood, we're just going to write a letter." His voice was icy and Josephine had a bad feeling about this. And when the person pushed her up the stairs, to the astronomy tower, it increased.

…**.**

Students screamed in agony and chock when Josephine's body was found under the astronomy tower, with a note in her pocket. Her limbs pointed in different odd angles. Her mouth was half open, in a frozen scream. The note was written with her handwriting and explained why she had chosen to 'jump'. The explanation was an ex boyfriend, Bilius Weasley, had broken her heart and she couldn't stand life anymore.

"Impossible." Mumbled Bilius Weasley. "She was happy last time I talked to her, she was the one breaking up with me for merlin's sake!."

No one listened to him. Everyone's eyes was on the broken body of Josephine.

…**.**

The great hall had dim light. A thick depressed feeling filled the air. Armando Dippet looked self important when he started to speak. "We have gathered here today to honor the memory of Josephine Collingwood. A hard working student who decided to jump when life didn't seem to offer her... "

_Josephine jumped? Ha, what a joke! _

Armando Dippet's cold almost uncaring voice echoed in the silent great hall. "...when we lose someone we love... ripped away from us with force...

_It was my fault!_

"depression... love... friendship... don't let us forget..." His philosophical speech/rant became more dull to Hermione as his voice got more uninteresting and cold.

_If I hadn't let her go that evening... if it wasn't for my migraine... she would have been alive!_

Hermione repeated it in her head during the memorial of Josephine Collingwood. She didn't hear a word of Armando Dippet's speech nor the music of the school choir. People around her cried, especially the students from Ravenclaw. She repeatedly blamed herself and a cynical voice in the back of her head told her that she was now responsible of five deaths.

Five Murders!

She was a murderer.

She had let it happen.

She had for merlin's sake been sleeping in the library when Josephine had been thrown down the tower!

The hour passed in a blur. The fog in her mind was slowly turning into another migraine attack. She didn't notice people leaving the great hall for the throbbing behind her eye until Alice Bennet gave her a rather hard push on her arm. But the light hurt in her eyes and Hermione was sure that her head would split in two any minute.

"Don't do that, Alice! Can't you see that she is in pain?" Luzia said and the sound drifted through Hermione's fog. Luzia's voice was different, like it came from a poorly tuned and crackling radio.

Hermione felt arms grip her and try to make her stand up. But they failed when she fell to her knees.

"Hermione, are you okay?" There were more voices now.

The headache started to calm down and Hermione was able to open her eyes again. Professor Codrington came walking towards the small group of worried students. Just a small episode, not like the other one she had in the library, it had lasted several hours.

"Miss. Granger, are you all right? I noticed you-" He asked magisterial.

She cut him off. "Yes, sir. I am fine. I've must have been falling asleep." Hermione rambled. "I haven't had much sleep lately." She explained when Edgar Codrington didn't seem to buy it.

"Are you sure?" He asked and helped her up.

"Yes, of course I am sure." Hermione said with gritted teeth. He nodded and asked her if she wanted go to the hospital wing and she declined.

_Go to the hospital wing for a migraine? Forget that, I am not weak!_

Edgar Codrington nodded and let her go. Hermione stumbled cross the hall without waiting for her friends. She needed to be alone. When she walked through the corridor did she notice, to her fear, that the short absence of the fog ended. The headache returned.

She slid down the wall and placed her head between her knees. She shut down the world around her and when her wand flew out of her wand holster, she opened her eyes to see who had taken it, but the light...

… the light burned her eyes and she let a soft scream slip her lips.

"Hey, Granger what's wrong with you?" Malfoy's voice asked from distant.

She stood up on shaky legs and held a hand over her eyes, to protect them and started to fumble blind. Someone grabbed her and shook her.

"What's wrong with her?" Black's voice echoed.

"Letmego." Hermione spluttered. "IsaidletmegoyoubastardsIamaheadgirl"

They half dragged her and half carried away the spluttering and wincing Hermione. The fog wouldn't let her go and her head was pounding.

A door closed and she jumped by the sound. Her senses was returning back.

"What have you done to her?" Someone asked.

_Oh no. Don't let it be him!_

Tom Riddle walked across the floor of 'Myrtle's bathroom'. He had hints of worry in his behavior when he scanned the limb Hermione Granger who hung helpless between Black and Malfoy. He asked them again and they answered that they found her in that state.

Hermione turned her head to the side when cold fingers started to analyze her face. His thumb and index finger forced her eyelids away to open her left eye. She was hit by another burn behind her eye and caused her to lash out. Without even knowing exactly what she did, she managed to kick Tom Riddle in his stomach.

"Take her, she is crazy!" Someone shouted. The sound of running feet and people shouting echoed.

Someone grabbed her and started to push her. Hermione came out of the fog just in time to see the big hole in the floor. The opening to the chamber of secrets...

"No, no. Why are you doing this?" She screamed as she was being pushed forward the dark hole. They had her wand and she couldn't protect herself. _Damn headache!_

The most surprising thing was the fact that someone answered her question. "Just want to make sure to know where you are going."

_'Just want to make sure where you are going' what does that mean?_

As Tom Riddle had read her thoughts. "When Josephine was thrown out of the tower she mentioned you had important information."

_Wow he's not even hiding the killings anymore... he confessed._

"We don't want you to forget, right? So, I think, the chamber of secrets will keep _your_ secret."

"What secret?" She screamed back confused.

"Nice try!" Black smiled mad at her. Tom Riddle didn't let anything away, his poker face was just as perfect as always. He nodded slightly, Black and Avery grabbed her by her arms, ready to throw her down.

"Do you know what the most ridiculous thing is?" Hermione asked to win time. Tom Riddle raised a brow.

"You set up a paradigm where you are risking to get caught!"

Tom's poker face started to crackle. He looked confused now.

"Think about it, you have let me run free in almost two years. Even though I've known about Myrtle the whole time. What's the difference?"

Black and Avery released her from their grip. They stared confused at Tom, they felt betrayed. Hermione fell to her knees as she fought the fog and the burning light. As she pressed her sweaty hands on her eyes she continued to talk.

"But Josephine Collingwood became a threat to you, when she found out about it! You knew she had to be silenced. And in order to _not_ appear weak to your so called _servants_, you decides to throw me down the chamber of secrets, because you want 'information' that doesn't even exist!"

He started to growl as the other in the room started to eye him with increasing anger. Hermione whimpered from the pain the lights were causing her.

_Please get the lights out, I'll do anything!_

"Do you know what my conclusion is?" She asked him. Hermione released her hands from her face and for the first time she looked straight into his eyes. It hurt but she managed. "I think you trust me! I think you trust me even more than your 'pathetic loyal servants'."

Everyone in the room stared at Tom with anger and betrayal in their eyes.

"Tom, I just called your bluff. Game over."

Black and Avery had raised their wands. Pointing them at Tom. The servants rebelled. The master saw it and he knew he had to act fast.

"You are wrong." Tom said softly to her, ignoring them. "The only reason I'm keeping you alive is because it's harder to explain the death of the head girl."

He raised _her own_ wand and pointed at her. Everything went black. She had to admit he was good, she hadn't even seen that coming.

…**.**


	15. act15

Lucy hated the discomfort the floor gave her. She was mad at Hermione for being so careless, for being thrown down the chamber of secrets.

"_Get up from the floor! Don't be so egotistic, we're in the same boat!"_

Hermione stood up on her shaky legs. For a moment she had no idea were she was. She was in a room with gray stone walls and a floor strewed with rat bones. It came light from somewhere but she couldn't see where it actually came from. The pounding behind her eye had been accompanied with pain in the back of her head. Her fingers traced and found a swelling. She leaned on the wall to steady herself. Lucy grew impatient when Hermione covered her eyes from the light.

"_There is hardly any light here."_ Lucy's voice was sour. _"Besides, you should be up, searching for a way out of here."_

"It hurts in my eyes." Hermione's voice was weak.

Lucy tapped her foot on the floor. Hermione gave in. When her eyes got used to the light, it became better. She started to explore the wall, to find any hidden trap doors... She admitted it was stupid though. To expect a easy exit out of here. Hermione sighed and walked away from the dark cave with the illuminating green light.

She found herself in a rather rough stone corridor. The green light was gone and to keep the darkness away several lanterns were placed on the walls. The warm shine _almost_ gave the illusion of the regular school corridors, a couple of storeys over her. Besides from the creepy sound of leaking water from somewhere and the feeling of monsters in every shadow. _Almost_...

"_What did you expect then, white bunnies jumping on a green field near the magical forest of light? We're talking about the chamber of secrets here."_ Lucy interrupted her.

Hermione mumbled something discontinuously.

"_What did you say?"_ Lucy said. She was annoyed by this whole situation.

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself... "

"_Did you know that the first sign of insanity is hearing and talking to inner voices?"_ Lucy said with an amused matter – of – fact tone. Hermione grew a bit confused when she noticed Lucy's sudden mood swing.

"You are wrong. It's when you're fighting with the voices... and they wins." Hermione said with a little of the old know – it – all voice. The headache wasn't so bad anymore and the fog wasn't visible. She actually felt much better.

"_We fought before... and I won."_ Lucy said proud of herself.

"Leave me alone!"

"_I'm already fading... " _Her contour had been fading along with the decline of Hermione's headache. But she was hard to notice now. The last whisper of Lucy disappeared in thin air as Hermione reached a round door with carved in snakes.

Damn! She would probably need to talk parseltounge now. She walked closer and suddenly, it opened.

Hermione's jaw dropped. Was it really so easy to get into the chamber of secrets? Is it possible for anyone to just simply walk into the chamber? She thought it was called, chamber of secrets for a reason.

The chamber was gray with a central gangway. On both sides of the central gangway was dark water and sculptures of snakes in the water cast long shadows. A soft green light came from the eyes of the black marble snakes. _That tiny little detail is enough to give strong and brave men nightmares. _She thought with a shudder.Her footsteps echoed in the silent chamber. A huge stone face of a man with long beard and hair, stood in the end of the central gangway. His eyes was big and expressionless. But Hermione got the feeling of his eyes following her walk. He was probably looking at her and judging her appearance. She was after all his heir.

She fell to her knees at the foot of the great sculpture of Salazar Slytherin. She had no idea why, but it seemed to be the right thing to do. Her gaze wandered up to his eyes and to the ceiling. It was magnificent, almost like the great hall, the inverts were decorated with a complicated design of snakes. Between the inverts were the ceiling painted in silver and green colors. It was beautiful. When the worst fear had settled down she actually thought that the chamber had a certain beauty. The green light from the snake sculptures reflected in the dark water and the onyx snakes were extremely graceful.

The only sound in the silent chamber was dripping water. Until...

"Hermione!" It was the sound of a little boy. The high pitched voice probably belonged to a 10 year old one. The sound was low, like he was far away.

Hermione stood up and scanned the chamber confused. It was empty, even though she didn't see what the shadows held. "Where are you?" She screamed back. Her voice echoed in the chamber and the sound came back to her after a few seconds.

When she got no answer she decided to tr again. "Hello! Is it somebody there?"

"I am here!" His voice answered almost immediately. His tone was dull.

"Where are you?" Hermione asked again, as she waited for an answer she started to explore the chamber with new eyes. She found two other entrances than the one she came through, she guessed they led to the pipe system. If he was in the pipe system, she realized with fear, he could be anywhere.

"Here!"

That wasn't much of an answer. But it must be hard to locate yourself in the endless pipes.

"Please don't leave me!" His tone was filled with fear when he got no answer from her.

"Don't worry, I'll try to find you." Hermione assured him. "Can you keep talking?"

Silent.

Hermione sighed. A little help please? She searched in her pockets for her wand but didn't found it. She gritted her teeth in anger at the memory of her wand being removed by one of Tom Riddle's lapdogs.

"Are you still there?" Hermione asked as she enlarged her aura of magic around her. If there was any magical activity besides from the chamber itself, she was sure she would find it. She searched after magical traces made of a human, a magical human of course. Strange, she couldn't find anything.

The boy's shout interrupted her. "Yes I am. Please don't leave me, again. I am so scared!" Panic rose in his tone. It sounded like he had started to cry.

Hermione became confused and she furrowed her brows. 'Don't leave me again'? But she came to the conclusion that it was for the best if she played along without asking questions. "I am not going to leave you. Can you tell me your name?"

"My name is Zack." His whisper reached her ears from her left side. So, it was the left entrance she was going to try. Hermione walked into the huge pipe and followed it until she reached a junction.

"Hey, Zack, are you still there?" She screamed.

"I am still here!" He shouted back.

"Good, Zack, can you do a thing for me?"

"Yes... " Now _he_ was confused.

"Zack, do you have a favorite song? Can you sing it to me?"

"I have one.. it's called itsy bitsy spider."

Hermione smiled. One of her favorites when she was a kid. "Great choice."

His voice sung the first verses and it was louder from the right direction.

_The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout. Down came the rain, and washed the spider out. _

"Beautiful. Keep singing!" Hermione praised him and walked in the direction of his voice. It was much easier to follow a singing voice.

_Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. _  
>It was louder. Hermione smiled until she stepped into a pool of water. That drained her smile and replaced it with an annoyed twist on her face.<br>…_.Down came the rain, and washed the spider out..._  
>She started to walk again and cursed herself for not watching her steps.<br>_...and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again..._  
>Hermione jumped over more pools of water. It seemed like they became more frequent. Where did all the water come from? After a few more corners she found herself wade through water up to her knees. Poor boy, was he trapped here, in the cold water?She suddenly realized that he wasn't singing anymore. It was silent everywhere except for her splashing footsteps, the water had retreated and was only bothering her feet now.<br>She started to panic when she couldn't hear him anymore."Zack? Are you still there? I am coming to get you!" She said and tripped on her left foot. Great! She muttered to herself, just what she needed. Her both elbows had caughther when she made impact with the floor. Now it really hurt!  
>Zack's voice cut through the silence. "I am still here!" His voice was drained with tears.<br>She got up with a huge amount of curses. "Great, Zack. Your voice is closer. I can hear you more clear now." She said and wondered how in the hell a little boy, probably a first year student, can manage to get into the school's pipe system. She had always suspected that something was really _off_ with this school.  
>"Don't worry, Zack, I'm going to help you." Hermione passed a few rats and rounded the last corner. She gasped at the sight, that scene was going to haunt her forever, she was sure of it.<br>The blonde boy stod in the middle of the gang with dripping clothes. His torn and dirty clothes hang on his body, like he had loosed a lot of weight in a short amount of time. The clothes caught her attention. Those wasn't the Hogwarts uniform, instead they resembled the clothes from her orphanage. He had pale skin and the rings under his eyes were dark purple. He had large bruises on his thin arms and his nails were broken and black. His fingertips were wrinkled like raisins.  
>But the most horrifying part of his appearance was his eyes. His eyes had sunken into the sockets and...<br>… his eyes were so empty. They were like black holes, filled with misery and sadness. Hermione gasped at the hopelessness in his dead eyes. She had never seen such hollow eyes in her whole life.  
>Zack raised an pale arm. His hand was shaking from the shudders in his whole body.<br>That scene in front of her was heartbreaking. Who did this to him?  
>Hermione took off her wet robe and put it around his shoulders, swept it around him, to at least warm him. "You are ice cold, kid." She said as she felt his freezing cheeks and brushed away his hair from his forehead. He shuddered but seemed to be more comfortable with the too big robe around him. She stared into his face and for the first time she really saw his face features. It was something awfully familiar about him. Like an old friend, from the past, she had half forgot. A lump in her stomach formed and she started to sweat.<br>"What is your full name, kid?" Half of her screamed to her to not ask that question, the other half demanded to know the answer.  
>He answered with his childish wide eyes. But with a different tone, more dark, not the high 'come and save me tone'. "My full name is, Zackarias Tobias Baker." His dead eyes had changed. They were stone cold and hard.<br>Hermione gulped as she let her hands drop from his shoulders. No it can't be! She wanted to run away from him, to get back to the safe Gryffindor Tower and hide under her bed. But as if a spell held her down, she didn't move.  
>The next question was not meant to be spoken. "Who did this to you?" Shadows around them started to move and whisper.<br>"You did." The two cold words echoed in the pipe. His eyes spiked her by the ground.  
>"No, Zack. It was a mistake." Hermione felt paralyzed, her mouth was dry and tears rose in her eyes. She shook her head. "No, Zack."<br>His eyes was pleading this time. "Why did you kill me?" He asked.  
>Hermione didn't hear. Her inability to act was broken. When he asked her the question, had she manage to break free and turn around to run away. She ran like she was chased by Gellert Grindewald himself.<br>_The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout. _  
>His voice came echoed in the pipe, catching up with her. She splashed in the water as she found herself returning to the chamber.<br>_Down came the rain, and washed the spider out. _  
>Better to return to the chamber than running around in the pipe system. What if she never found her way out?<br>_Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain._  
>She rounded a corner and for the first time she felt happy when she saw the green soft light, indicate that the chamber was near.<br>_...and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. _

Hermione was in a such hurry that she didn't even see the girl in front of her. Hermione didn't notice the others present until she bumped into the strangely solid girl.

As Hermione looked into the eyes of Amy Benson, she let out a scream of fear. The girl was dressed in the same dress the day she died. Her blonde hair was dirty and her braids was loose. Her skin was awfully unhealthy gray. She raised her arm, just like Zack had, and pointed at Hermione with a bony finger.

"Murderer!" Amy Benson shouted with big and cold eyes.

"You drowned me, you don't deserve to live!" Zack Baker inserted, screaming.

Hermione whined as they slung insults in her face. She hid her face in her hands and when she looked through her fingertips, she saw that Myrtle and Dennis Bishop had joined the ghosts.

"You!" Hermione shouted at Myrtle, pointing at the reincarnation of the bullied girl. "Why are you haunting me? I haven't even hurt you! I helped you, I was one of the few who was nice to you!"

Myrtle's face twisted into something horrible. Fjeld replaced her skin and her mouth became a beak. Her large yellow eyes was horrifying. "Big yellow eyes were the last thing I ever saw!" Croaked the 'scary' version of Myrtle.

"I was never involved in your death!" Hermione shouted back even thought a more logic part of her brain told her to keep her tone down.

"You practically killed me anyhow."

Grey, cold and wet hands traced over her and dragged her to the ground.

"_You witch! I always knew you belonged at a mental hospital!"_

"_The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout." _

She was fighting back but it was hopeless, they were too powerful.

"_Electroshock therapy is what you deserve!"_

"_Down came the rain, and washed the spider out." _

Someone pulled her hair, causing her head to hit the floor. "No, Tom Riddle is guilty!"

"_Down came the rain, and washed the spider out..." _

She screamed with her last strength. "Tom Riddle is guilty!"

"_...but the itsy bitsy spider never made it up again." _  
>She welcomed the dark when it finally arrived. To hide in the forgiving shadows and seek peace for her mind. The shadows embraced her as their voices disappeared.<p>…<strong>.<strong>

When Tom Riddle returned to the entrance to the chamber of secrets, he came alone. He gritted his teeth at how easy she had called his bluff. There was no secret she held. She was useless to him, but at the thought of killing her off and leave her behind like his 'dear' relatives was unbearable. He felt ashamed when he realized it, but he trusted her. He trusted her more than his Death Eaters. His Death Eaters knew him as Lord Voldemort, the leader. The only reason his Death Eaters had joined him was because of power. Hermione knew him as Tom Riddle, she knew his flaws and his personality.

But there is nothing good or bad in this world, not light nor dark, the only existing in this world is power and those who were to weak to seek it.

And Tom Riddle isn't weak.

"_Do you know what the most ridiculous thing is? You set up a paradigm where you are risking to get caught!"_

She was mocking him! Making fun of him. No one is making fun of Tom Riddle, the Slytherin heir and the leader of The Death Eaters.

"_Josephine Collingwood became a threat to you, when she found out about it! You knew she had to be silenced. And in order to not appear weak to your so called servants, you decides to throw me down the chamber of secrets, because you want 'information' that doesn't even exist!"_

No, she wasn't. She was logical. His plans had flaws and she found them and brought them up to the surface.

"_Think about it, you have let me run free in almost two years. Even though I've known about Myrtle the whole time. What's the difference?"_

She was right, what's the difference? Why didn't he silence her two years ago?

The answer was simple. He couldn't stand himself if he did.

He knew he would hate her. Since it was her who drove him into the arms of Mr. Daniels last time. The humiliation of spending a day in that god – forsaken cell still burned him.

"_Do you know what my conclusion is? I think you trust me! I think you trust me even more than your 'pathetic loyal servants'."_

"_Tom, I just called your bluff. Game over."_

She did, she certainly did.

He was happy he had such stupid followers. When he lied to her about why he intended to throw her down the chamber they immediately let their wands down. He gained their trust again.

Tom walked through the open entrance door to the chamber. The gray chamber was lit up by the sculpture snakes' eyes. Tom admired the exquisite black marble snakes. Salazar Slytherin had good taste.

His steps on the floor was almost cacaphonically in the silent chamber. The too silent chamber. Something wasn't right.

Tom brought out his wand and made a search after resent magical activity. Even though he had her wand in his pocket, was Hermione's aura of magic to strong to be tamed by a wand. He had heard about the teachers speaking about her outstanding wandless and non verbal magic. Were ever she went she was praised for her magical ability and her mind. Even Tom admired her.

Resent magic was found in the pipe system. He walked closer to the source and wondered if it was a trap. Or if she really was stupid enough to walk into the pipe system without some kind of map.

But as it appeared, it was neither of them. She lay unconscious near the chamber in a pool of water. She had no signs of physical marks.

He knelt down next to her with a stupid worried feeling. Something wasn't right. She would never lay down in a pool of cold water to sleep... He brushed away hair from her face and checked her pulse.

It was steady.

But she was cold.

He wondered where her robe was. Hermione's gray sweater and black skirt were wet. Her Gryffindor tie hang loose around her neck. Tom put her head in his lap and raised his wand, he pointed it to her 'sleeping' face.

'_Enervate_'

Her eyes slowly fluttered open... first with surprised eyes but it immediately changed when she saw her savior.

Her reaction wasn't really what he expected.

Her sally was as fast a cobra. He dropped his wand in surprise.

"What the... ?"

Her hands flew to his face first but eventually found what they searched, his neck. He fell back by her weight as she pushed him back, still cutting of the airflow to his lungs. She growled and for a second, a picture of a tiger, came to his mind.

Physically, he was stronger than her and he managed to release her grip on his neck. While gasping for air he locked her arms behind her back.

She growled and hissed at him. "You monster! You threw me down the chamber of secrets, you are going to pay for what I've suffered!" She screamed while she squirmed.

She slung her head back and hit him on his nose, blood trickled down his face as he released his grip slightly, from the pain. His left hand flew up to his face to make sure his nose wasn't broken. Hissings in parseltounge escaped his lips.

Hermione turned around to face him. "Where is my wand?!" A clenched fist made an impact with his chin.

He groaned to answer.

She didn't like that answer...

Her right foot hit his 'sensitive spot' with a hard kick. He fell over, again. Tom didn't notice when she searched through his pockets and found her wand. But when she pointed it at him, standing a few feet away, he focused his eyes on her.

"I should kill you, here and now." She hesitated before she continued. "But I am not as rotten as you. I am just going to let you, taste your own medicine." She said with triumphalism. She backed away slowly, still pointing her wand at him.

He looked around, ignoring the pain, and scanned the floor for his wand.

"Looking for this?" She held up his wand and let it slid to her pocket.

Hermione may be good at wandless magic but Tom wasn't bad either. The next step back, she fell, over a magical tripwire. Her wand fell out of her hand.

He sprinted towards her with one thought in his head, to get his wand back. But Hermione wouldn't let it go so easily. He found himself being pushed back by her magical force.

He hit his head on the floor. Stars danced in front of his eyes and the whole chamber span. Hermione's face became visible in his eyesight. The anger was gone, replaced by worry.

"Are you okay?" Her hands checked his pulse. "Dammit! I didn't mean to... "

He started to focus again. The stars were not visible anymore and the chamber didn't spin too much. She was cut off by _his_ sally. She found her arms being locked behind her back painfully again.

Tom brushed away her hair with his free hand and whispered into her ear."Ambush, Hermione."

She hissed back at him as he took both of the wands in her pocket. "You see, dear, I have no intentions to stay in this chamber longer. Besides people are starting to ask questions when the Head Girl isn't showing herself in the school anymore." He pulled her up.

_Pop!_

Hermione let out another hiss as her shoulder jumped dislocated. Tears rose in her eyes from the pain but she pushed them back.

He started to push her in the direction of the entrance.

…**.**

Hermione and Tom leaved the bathroom in silence. They had closed the hidden entrance to the chamber and unlocked the door. Hermione had been surprised when he returned her wand as they stepped out side. She had a steady grip on her left arm, which had jumped dislocated. She was just about to leave him for the Hospital Wing and Madam Wakefield when the booming voice of Horace Slughorn broke the silence in the corridor.

"Miss. Granger and Mr. Riddle!" Horace Slughorn strode down the corridor. "The headmaster gave me the delight to fable this years Yule Ball's theme." He said pompously. And not even noticing their slovenly and dirty appearance. "The Minister of Magic will join us. And the Headmaster wants to express the HouseUnity of Hogwarts." He practically jumped out of his shoes. "The prefects will open the ball... and I think that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin will give the extra spice to the HouseUnity." He winked.

All blood drained from Hermione's dirty face.

But Tom didn't seem to mind. He gave Hermione a nasty payback – smile and added. "Such a great idea, Professor." His left arm snaked around her shoulders and squeezed hard on her hurt shoulder.

Hermione fought back the tears that threaten to fall. Instead she smiled a fake smile.

Horace Slughorn seemed to be extremely exited at the sight of the young 'happy' couple in front of him.

…**.**

**Lucy is introduced to the story now. I wonder if anyone remember the "**_Hi, I am Lucy_**" from chapter 13. Did you catch that and made the connect with this Lucy when you read this chapter?**


	16. act16

Luzia squealed in delight when she opened the dress bag. Hermione looked away, bored. She couldn't understand why a simple dress could be so interesting. Inside was a long silky dark green dress with striped sleeves. She had to admit that it was beautiful. Luzia smiled and held it up to show it to Alice and Hermione. Hermione tried to look interested, after all, it was Luzia who had been transforming her old outgrown bathrobe. When they eyed it a little closer they saw the delicate work, even not a tiny thread was misplaced.

"Put it on, Hermione." Alice said breathless with glowing eyes.

Hermione rolled her eyes at their immature behavior. She sighed and took it rather heavy-handed from Luzia and went to change. When she had figured out how to get in the dress and where the sleeves should be placed, she stared into the mirror. The dress seemed to fit her. But the color didn't match her hair. She sighed and shook her shoulders.

_Here goes nothing._

"Oh merlin, Hermione you look stunning!" exclaimed Alice. "You're too beautiful." She said and a depressed glint appeared in her eyes.

"I'm sure you will look wonderful in your dress, Alice." Hermione said with false happiness. Alice's almost too cheery mood was always lined with depression.

Luzia rolled her eyes at Alice and smiled with a certain sparkle in her eyes to Hermione. "Green, good choice. It definitely fits the Slytherin Prince." She winked.

Hermione's heart sank when Luzia reminded her about the disaster that was about to take place in a couple of hours. Armando Dippet's obvious choice of students to show 'school unity between the houses' to the minister... She scowled at the awful memory when he had suggested a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together. In this case the head boy and head girl.

Luzia continued her rant about the dress without noticing Hermione's scowling. "But green doesn't really fit your hair color." Alice nodded.

"I guess we can fix that. Just give me some time with the make up and your hair." Luzia smiled and levitated a box to the bed next to them.

"No make up." Hermione said slightly annoyed.

"Don't be so silly." Luzia said happily. "When I'm a professional make up artist, you will proudly say; she did my make up in school, for free!"

Alice who sat on a chair nearby giggled a very girly giggle. Luzia sent her a pissed off face and Alice immediately stopped. Luzia rolled her eyes once again and and ordered Alice coldly to mind her own business and put on her own dress. She had been cold towards Alice since she pushed Hermione rather hard on her arm during a migraine attack. But the coldness was starting to turn into something more serious.

"She is so annoying. Always seeking attention." Luzia sighed.

_I can say the same about you, Luzia Stanford._ Hermione thought and felt ashamed when she realized that she also was annoyed by Alice.

Luzia dotted make up in her face and talked happily about her date. Was his name Biggle, Budgins... or maybe Bibbles? Hermione was sure the name had a capital 'B'.

Something Hermione liked about Luzia and her rants was that she didn't need Hermione's answers. She did all the talking by herself. Hermione just hummed to be polite.

"So, your hair." Luzia smiled and started to do something with her bushy hair. "I was thinking side-parted hair.."

"I didn't know I had a part." Hermione interrupted sarcastic.

"...with wavy curls." Luzia continued, completely ignoring Hermione.

"Plus I'm going to put a dying spell on your hair, don't worry" She said when she saw Hermione's worried look in the mirror. "It will only last for two hours."

Hermione closed her eyes and dreamed away. Her imagination took her to a place were no Tom Riddle existed. Only rainbows and white bunnies with a certain cute one with lion yellow fur and black spots.*****

Luzia's giggle interrupted her sweet dream. What's going on now?

Alice came out from the bathroom in a blue quite boring dress which was very tight. Luzia giggled harder when she walked by them to her bed to collect her shoes.

"Six months pregnant?" Luzia refereed to Alice's belly, whispering into Hermione's ear.

Hermione didn't answer, instead she had a lump in her own stomach. Alice didn't hear it instead she smiled wide at them and showed her tooth aperture while she swirled around to show her dress. Unfortunately for Alice the back on the dress was open which enabled everyone clear sight to her acne on her back.

"Disgusting." Luzia shook her head and placed the dying spell on Hermione's hair. She turned Hermione to face the mirror.

Hermione's mouth fell wide open at the new hair color. Luzia had turned her hair... dark red - a very beautiful shade of red though but red?

"I think the red hair will fit the green dress perfectly." Luzia smiled and gave Hermione the belonging mask the the dress. A green elegant mask made of feathers.

"Wow." Said Alice and touched Hermione's now red hair.

"Don't ruin the hair, Alice!" Luzia slapped Alice on her hand. "Go and get her shoes. Do something useful for a change."

"You're going to look so hot tonight." Luzia continued before Hermione could say something.

"Yes." Alice flushed when she came back with the shoes. "All the guys are going to take a cold shower after this night." She blushed even more at her own attempt to say something 'explicit'.

Luzia didn't blush at all when she said "I bet he's going to drag you into a bro- "

"Hey, hey!" Hermione interrupted Luzia before could say anything even more 'explicit'.

"Don't be so modest, that is just the beginning." She winked. "You would pr-"

"Okay, that's it! Stop it! I don't want to hear more." Hermione gritted between her teeth and felt her own blushing become more redder than her hair.

"Oh please don't say you guys haven't done it yet?"

"Done what?" Hermione didn't like the way this conversation was about to lead to.

Alice opened her mouth again. "She means when you two are patrolling in the nights... something must have happened." Alice blushed again at her bravery.

"No, nothing happened. Never." Hermione shuddered. _Except for a physical fight were I kicked his ass, literally... _

"You are so boring. You have the chance with the hottest guy in this school and you're telling me you haven't made a move!" Luzia said. "If I was you I would have.."

"Bite me."

"Do you think he is interested?" Alice asked and the glow in her eyes reappeared.

"What, no. I am certain that he's not." Hermione stated and put a gluing charm on the mask. _He's only interested in ruining my shoulder.. and oh I've must have forgot, he likes to throw me down the chamber of secrets!_

Alice bit her lip. "I have never seen him with any of the girls nor heard anything about potential girlfriends." Her brows was almost touching each others when she come to a conclusion. "Do you think he's, you know, queer?"

"Rubbish." Luzia interrupted. "Hermione haven't you seen how he looks at you?"

"You mean with hate and disgust?"

Luzia rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that." She turned around and strode out to get herself dressed.

A awkward silence appeared. Alice smiled wide and span around in her dress.

Hermione struggled with her Head Girl badge.

…**.**

"I can't wait to see Tom Riddle with something else than his school robes." Squealed Luzia and clutched Hermione's arm. "You are so happy. I bet he's romantic." She sighed.

The three of them walked down to the entrance hall. Hermione and Luzia together and poor Alice almost running after them. Hermione had developed the bad habit of always jumping and reaching for her wand at the sight of shadows and moving portraits. Luzia rolled her eyes. The official explanation for Hermione's disappearance was a brief visit to the Orphanage. The details were 'confidential'. They reached the stairs to the entrance hall, the hall was filled with people with dress robes in almost every colors. Cashmere, silk, cubic zircon, pearls and velvet floated together in a blissful mix

"Do you see him?" Asked Alice.

"Yes, over there." Luzia pointed at a small group with Tom, Slughorn and the other 'star students' just by the door.

"See you." Luzia and Alice waved at Hermione before they went down the stairs to Luzia's date. Was his name Blimey?

Hermione took a deep breath and walked slowly down the stairs while she tried to not fall. Her shoes had way to high heels. Damn shoes! But her female intuition told her that she might need them later this evening.

She put on a fake smile when she got closer the group. Tom Riddle stared murderous at her. Apperently he has abandon his fake happiness around Horace Slughorn. _I understand you, Tom, you are a horrible actor. I am sure Horace Slughorn can look straight through you._

Hermione tried to avoid his stare. Even if it was hard. He was extremely handsome in his black robe. Girls around him sent very interested looks. Hermione couldn't help but feel... angry?

"Who is this lovely redhead, behind the mask?" Asked Slughorn and winked friendly. His dress robe was strewed with sparkling jewels and his sparkling glasses made his eyes appear twice as much. His whole appearance resembled a giant insect.

"Me, professor." Hermione took off the mask and gave Tom a big fake smile. Something twitched in his face and she watched amused when he gulped.

Slughorn put an arm around Tom's shoulders and said "Tom, my boy, be careful with this one." He winked again at Hermione.

"I will, sir." Tom's quiet voice was almost inaudible.

Slughorn lowered his voice. "I wouldn't be saying this but both me and the headmaster knows that it is you who are the star students here."

"Sir, I'm sure that isn't true. You are too flattering." Tom said with his most innocent, humble, poor, orphan voice.

Slughorn chuckled. "Always so modest."

The doors were opened and the big hall was revealed. It was magically enlarged and very dim. Students welled in and headed to the podium. Albus Dumbledore, Armando Dippet and apparently the Minister stood there. Olga-Isabelle Malfoy sent Hermione a cold look when she passed them with a slytherin boy.

Armado Dippet started to talk "All my students, welcome to this Yule ball at the end of 1945. We have the honor to have our own minster of magic here tonight." The minister nodded politely at the students. And so carried Armando Dippet on in at least 10 minutes until Professor Dumbledore gave him a 'light push'.

"Hrm hrm."

Hermione woke up from her thoughts. She opened and closed her eyes. One of the old headaches started to come back again.

"Remember the dance?"

"Oh that. What, now?"

"No, next week." He rolled his eyes and offered her his arm. The other couples waited on the dance floor.

They strode out and when they were in the middle, he put one hand on her waist. She put on shaky hand on his shoulder. His other hand levitated in the air. She didn't made a move. He raised a brow.

"Today?"

Hermione flushed angrily. "No, tomorrow." Their fingers met and both hands connected.

The music began and so did the dance. It was a waltz and the orchestra played Senza Fine.

"There is something I've wondered..." He said and forced Hermione to look at him. She struggled with the forming migraine. The throbbing behind her eyes became more painful every minute. At least the great hall was dim. The light didn't bother so much.

"What?" Came Hermione's rude answer.

"Why you turned yourself into a ginger."

"_Do you have to say 'ginger'? You might hurt Hermione's feelings!"_ Lucy's upset voice suddenly cut through Hermione's head.

She decided to ignore the inner voice. "So, don't you like redheads?"

"I never said I didn't like redheads... I was just curious. Trying to find something to talk about."

"We don't have to talk, just dance this damn dance."

"What if I wanted to get to know you?"

"Are you schizophrenic?" He stared confused at her. Hermione herself was a bit puzzled by her strange question.

"What do you mean with that?" He asked.

"Well, earlier you looked at me murderous and now you want to 'get to know me' Or is it just a part of your new evil plan?"

They span around and Hermione became very aware of the warmth from his hands.

He stared darkly into her eyes, obviously not enjoying the conversation anymore. How easy it is to change the mood, just like _that! _

"But there is a new master plan, right? I guess you want to eliminate me after I got away last time." Hermione smiled wide at him.

"I don't think you will be able to handle dealing with hearing it."

"So bad?"

"By the way, how is your shoulder?" He changed the subject.

"Not bad. You know it barely hurt when it jumped out of place." She lied to him. Actually it had hurt as hell.

"Liar. I saw the tears in your eyes." His strange muddy eyes scanned her. What was wrong with them? Hermione recalled them to be gray not muddy and was it a slight of red... ?

"Keep on talking and I will give _you_ something to cry about... Oh wait I've already did!" Hermione said with cheery sarcasm.

He laughed. "With all these witnesses? Don't you think they will react if you hex me?"

Hermione chuckled to an answer. "I can hurt you in more ways than the magical one."

Tom raised a brow.

Hermione smiled wider. _Thank god for female intuition!_ A special mechanism was hidden in the spike heel of her shoes. With a slight jerk on her wrist, a small and thin but sharp blade grew out of the spike heel. She aimed carefully...

Tom's face twisted in pain as the sharp blade sank in his foot. "Ouch!" Hermione smiled faint. The migraine was kicking in, hard.

The last tones of Senza Fine died down and was replaced with an up – tempo song. Students welled in to the dance floor. Hermione saw Luzia, in the corner of her eyes, busy with dragging her date to the dance floor. Alice hung her head alone a few feet from a couple of groups. It was heart breaking to see her like that.

Hermione released the grip of Tom Riddle and leaft him to take care of his own foot. Ignoring the poundings behind her eyes, she approached Alice carefully.

"Alice, how are you?"

Alice wiped away the forming tears in her eyes. The misery in her whole appearance and her magic, hit Hermione hard in the chest. Alice's always so thin and weak aura was almost unable to catch up. If Hermione hadn't known her, she might as well had mistaken Alice for a muggle.

"I don't know.. " Her voice trailed.

"What? Tell me, you know you can trust me."

"I should be happy... but I'm not."

"Why are you not happy?" Hermione bit herself in her tongue. Did she really ask Alice that stupid question?

"I think it's Luzia." Alice said and she hung her head more.

"_Wow, considering you, Hermione, got yourself thrown down the chamber of secrets by a mental unstable psycho, her little problems are petty."_ Lucy snorted. Hermione turned to face her and tell her to shut up.

Alice scanned Hermione with a raised brow as she watched the Head girl's strange outburst.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard someone calling me..." Hermione explained to Alice. Pretty good lie, it wasn't impossible to catch up someone's voice in the buzz.

Alice furrowed her both brows and her lips parted, as she was about to say something.

"_She is not believing your pathetic lie!" _Lucy said and eyed the confused Alice. Hermione watched with increasing fear, Lucy walking closer Alice. _"You should 'oblivate' her. I think she means trouble."_

Hermione couldn't help herself when the fear was replaced with anger. She didn't intend to say it out loud but the words slipped her lips before she realized it. "I am not going to 'oblivate' her, she is my friend, Lucy!"

If Alice was confused before... that was nothing compared to now. Her eyes became wider and she gasped when her old friend talked into the air. She closed her eyes and opened them over and over again, she even rubbed them, knowing it would ruin her make – up, but she couldn't see this 'Lucy'. As far as Alice knew, no Lucy was studying at Hogwarts.

Lucy grinned and walked over to Alice and gently laying her hand on Alice's shoulder. Hermione watched with wide eyes, Alice didn't flinch. It was like Lucy didn't exist. But she _did_, Hermione saw her clear. Lucy dropped the hand on Alice's shoulder and started to play with Alice's loose hair strands. With a jerk on her hand, she ripped of the hair shafts from Alice's head. Alice didn't react at all.

"Don't touch her!" Hermione walked towards the smirking Lucy and the now scared Alice.

Poor Alice, looked around to find this particular Lucy. But she didn't notice anyone she didn't knew. "Who is Lucy?" Alice asked the wide eyed Hermione. That _crazy_ glint in her eyes, was it real or just an illusion?

Hermione's face twisted from insane to blank and back to normal with a faint smile. "She is, she is.. no one. I am sorry Alice, I have been so stressed lately." She assured Alice.

"_Are you making it a habit, lie to your friends like that?"_ Lucy whispered into her ear. How the hell did she get there so fast?

"Shut up!"

Alice jumped. Hermione buried her hands into her face.

Remembering the last time Hermione had one of her headache attacks, Alice lay an arm around Hermione and asked her if she wanted to go to the Hospital Wing. Hermione shook her head and said with a messy voice, she just wanted to get out of the great hall.

When she wade through the crowd, Alice simply stood and watched her go. A part of her wanted to stalk after and make sure Hermione got to bed safely but another stronger part, opposed.

Hermione held her hand over her eye with the pounding pain. She didn't care when other screamed at her and even giving her the finger for pushing them. She had to leave, she wanted to leave. Outside the great hall, she breathed hard and squeezed her eyes shut. Unfortunately she pushed another fellow student on his shoulder. Something he didn't like at all.

"Hey, Granger!" Black screamed after her. She heard another female voice behind her. "Don't do that! She is a head girl!"

He ignored her and tucked out his wand. Hermione swirled around, with one foot on the first step. She also tucked out her wand from the wand holster on her calf. Her vision turned red, once again...

She dodged the spell when it rushed towards her.

He ducked from her hex.

As their duel went on they moved outside, away from teachers.

Hermione gritted her teeth and the fresh air made her brain think clear. Or as clear as it could be when Lucy still stood beside her. But for the first time, she was happy to have Lucy by her side, As Lucy told Hermione what Black's next moves was.

"_Duck, it's a dark spell!" _Lucy screamed, sounding terrified for the first time. She had abandon her shameless sarcastic tone and replaced it with a more calculating attitude. But from the second Black decided to hurl a dark curse at Hermione she became terrified. Black's girlfriend also screamed and begged him to stop.

Black had reached the point when it was impossible to stop. His anger shouted down ever ounce of his logic mind. Granger had humiliated him, turned him against his master. His master had made _him_ pay and letting that muggleborn getting away with it. When Black thought about it, he suspected his master had a soft spot for her. Black growled, his master had told them over and over again that women meant trouble.

He didn't live as he taught, his master walked behind his back.

With her.

With _that_ mudblood!

A Gryffindor of all!

Hermione recognized the dark spell as a particular nasty spell with side – effects such as your own skin turned inside and out. She had read about it last year, the victim's death was painfully slowly with sufferings until he or she died the from blood loss.

She side – stepped just in time.

He hurled a dark cutting hex.

When the next curse came, she was prepared. A powerful shield protected her and his dark curse disappeared into thin air. This time, Hermione snickered. Her red anger vision was blood red in the edges with a lighter shade of red in the center of her vision.

Black screamed in agony as her next curse hit him in the chest. His girlfriend also screamed and then fainted as he fell to his knees. Lucy cheered happily and performed a kind of war dance.

Black stared at his hands as they became gray and lifeless. His eyes became wider when they started to dehydrate and his nails fell off. After a few seconds, his gray skin stretched over dry bone pipes. His freezing scream in despair broke the winds peaceful whirring in the treetops.

Hermione ignored Lucy's cheering _("Haha, you got what you deserved, at last!")_ The redness in her vision was almost gone and she could think clear. With a gasp, she realized what she just had done. She had hurt another student with a dark curse. She had hurt another human being, _again._ She was just as bad as him, Tom Riddle.

To Lucy's great disappointment, she released the spell from him. Black watched his hand go back to normal. Lucky for him, Hermione had chosen to use a so called 'illusion spell', a very painful and realistic one, but only a 'illusion spell'.

It wasn't real.

It didn't affect his hand permanently.

When Black realized that, his grin returned. And the the madness and anger in his eyes showed up in his face once again.

Lucy faded away and so did the last remains of Hermione's migraine.

Hermione stared at the fading Lucy. She felt alone when the others present disappeared in the night air. Clouds drove by and the silver moon revealed itself on the black sky.

_'Sanguis constringitur' _

Her magic aura sensed the dark green curse coming towards her too late.

…**.**


	17. act17

The dark figure in the entrance appeared, like a dark angel. Black's eyes became wider in fear. The mudblood lay in the wet grass a few feet away. She was unmoving and looked very pale in the moonlight. He dropped his wand and fell to his knees once again. He knew that his master wouldn't tolerate this, the fact that he was hurling curses at the _object_ his master fancied.

She was merely an object, a thing to him.

She was not more than a useful piece of a puzzle...

… what puzzle?

How useful?

He had mentioned information last time. But she had screamed back that she didn't held any information, that he lied to not appear weak.

She had called his bluff.

His poker face had crackled and it ran off his face.

Game over.

The dark figure raised his wand. It pointed at Black. Of course it pointed at him. He had been a bad servant, he didn't please his master. It was over. Black started to chuckle while he hoped his punishment wouldn't be so bad. He hoped his master would show mercy on his magically mangled body and soul. His chuckle turned into a hysterical laugh. Game Over, indeed.

The dark angel was growing larger and larger.

"_Oblivate_!"

It was quiet peaceful.

Black.

It was easy to not think. It was so empty. Or was it? A dominant voice cut through his own peace.

"_You shall assume the entire debt. You cast the curse over her after she pushed you on the shoulder. She never had the chance to defend herself."_

Okay, that was easy. It was exactly what happened. I swear by my noble family name that I aim to tell the truth. A Black stands with his word.

"_You were never a part of Lord Voldemort's society. The Death Eaters do not exist. You have never heard about it and shall never in your life speak about it again."_

I have never associated with the Death Eaters or Lord Voldemort nor I intend to.

Peace and Darkness embraced him. Black enjoyed the feeling.

…**.**

"Hermione?" He sat on his knees and slapped her face to wake her up. She didn't move a muscle nor stir. He put his hand over her forehead. She was cold. People started to crowd around them. Their screams turned into a buzz for Tom. But he could guess, probably the usual, why? How? When? Who?

Tom brought out his wand but hesitated. He didn't know every side effect of this curse. What if he alerted the spell when he woke her up. He scanned the crowd around them. No teachers. Where are the teachers when you need them?

He hesitated two seconds and mumbled 'enervate'.

Slowly her eyelids started to move. Two brown eyes fluttered open, meeting a pair of gray. The brown eyes became wider when she realized she was on the ground. She sat up on the ground and watched with large eyes the chaos around her. A tiny small voice in her head said her dress was getting dirty.

"Are you okay? Do you feel strange?" Tom asked her worried. She was hit by a dark curse. The 'sanguis constringitur' curse, to be exact. Why didn't she show symptoms yet?

It was something really off with her eyes. "Itsy bitsy spider..." Her tiny voice answered. "climbed up the water spout..." Her facial expression didn't belong with the sentence. It was like she was surprised by the words coming out of her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Tom asked her with a growing suspicion.

She stared into his eyes. "He is crying." She grabbed the front of his robe. "He is all alone in the pipe. We must find him!"

"What are you talking about?" Tom asked and scanned her while he untied her hands from his robe.

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes as she started to mumble, mostly to herself. "So cold, so cold." She hugged herself and shivered "He played in the rain, that is why he is wet." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Tom turned to the people around him. "She is confused." He told them and magically checked Hermione's temperature. "She shows signs of Hypothermia."

He put one of her arms around his shoulder and started to drag her into the castle. He cast one last eye at the blank Black. Did that son of a bitch hit her after all? He of that knew the indications of the spell, first unconscious then possible hypothermia after that the blood vomiting. He mentally cursed himself for not researching the contra spell. He had no idea how to break the spell, 'sanguis constringitur.'

"Can I get help here?!" He asked out load to no one particular. The group of worried students stared back dumbstruck.

Finally! Mrs. Dyce came rushing down the stairs with Professor Codrington. The herbology professor started to herd the crowd back inside. ("There is nothing more to see here. Go back inside until all of you catch the cold! Yes, you too Mr. Smith!") They started to drag her into the castle and headed to the Hospital Wing.

Mrs. Dyce placed her hand on the distant Hermione's forehead. "What is wrong with her?" Tom was a bit surprised she managed to maintain her hand on Hermione's forehead while they were running down the halls.

Tom gritted his teeth while he lied straight into her face. "I don't know what spell Black hit her with."

"Oh dear." She answered and checked Hermione's pulse magically. She turned to Edgar Codrington. "Have you ever seen this before?" She asked the Defense against dark art teacher.

He scanned Hermione before he answered. "She is not showing any clear physical signs, except for the hypothermia, but something is definitely wrong with her. I have never seen this before."

Hermione sang softly to herself. Not noticing them.

"If only Professor Dumbledore was here this night." Mrs. Dyce inserted with a despondent tone in her voice. "He would knew what to do."

"But I saw Dumbledore earlier at the ball." Tom said. Even if he hated the old wizard with the blue piercing eyes, he felt frustrated when Dumbledore wasn't in the castle _this_ particular evening. Did he really have to choose to disappear now, this night?

They had reached the Hospital Wing and Madam Wakefield. Mrs. Dyce, Professor Codrington and Tom forced Hermione onto a bed. Madam Wakefield started to perform complicated diagnosis spells on her while she asked Codrington routine questions.

Mrs. Dyce and Tom retreated back to give Madam Wakefield some space. "Mrs. Dyce?" Tom asked in a low tone. He leered with his humble, poor orphan attitude. "Why is Dumbledore not here now?" He asked and his face features softened. Tom's muddy gray eyes pierced her boring brown pair.

The older woman seemed to be dazzled but she hid it well. "Mr. Riddle, it's confidential. Only the authorized are allowed to know." She said with a ridiculously low and conspiracy tone.

Tom put on a dazzling smile. "But Mrs. Dyce, I am worried for my class mate and want to know whats wrong with her." He pointed at Hermione. "Professor Dumbledore might be the only one in the castle who is able to heal her. Doesn't that make me authorized?"

This time, she gulped. Her eyes wandered when she started to give in. "Well of course Mr. Riddle. I understand, you are worried over her but I can't give you that information..."

Another piercing gaze from him.

"But you're a Head Boy and I am sure I can trust you but... oh well, Mr. Riddle you have to swear that you do not intend to pass it on." She said serious.

Tom nodded. So easy to make her talk.

"Mr. Dumbledore is on a mission."

Tom raised a brow.

"He knows where Gellert Grindewald is planning his newest attack. Albus is going to ambush and defeat him. Once and for all. He left after the minister's speech." She placed her finger over her lips. "But do not say anything to anyone. We don't want it to get out."

"Of course." He smiled a soft smile.

She smiled back and added. "I trust you Mr. Riddle."

Madam Wakefield's scream in shock interrupted them. Codrington jumped back with a distrustful look on his face. Like he didn't believe his eyes.

Hermione coughed heavy. Sweat trickles down her forehead. Her hair was in the horrible transforming from red to her usual honey brown color. She didn't look well. And suddenly her face turned green. Blood came rushing out of her mouth and onto her dress. She puked blood all over the bed.

Madam Wakefield steadied Hermione when she fell back to the pillows, breathing heavy.

Mrs. Dyce stood behind Tom, biting on her nails. "Do something!" She suddenly exclaimed out. "She is ill, we can't have her like that!" Codrington put an arm around the woman.

"No, we can't." Madam Wakefield said. But she didn't agree with Mrs. Dyce. Instead she said. "I can't do anything. Until either I know what spell hit the poor girl or Dumbledore is here in the castle, I can't do anything." She magically cleaned the bed and Hermione's dress from the blood. Tom clenched his fists together.

"But something?" Mrs. Dyce said weak.

Madam Wakefield wandered with her eyes from Codrington to Tom and to look straight into the eyes of Mrs. Dyce. Hermione started to cough again. "Give her water. For her soar throat."

Water for her soar throat? What on earth was this lunatic thinking? Tom turned on his heel and left. He clenched his fists together harder when he stormed down the hall.

…**.**

The restricted area in the library was dim and filled with shadows. The soft light on the table shone warmly. He buried himself in books and letters the following three hours. Every new book from the shelf gave him hope but they eventually let him down. He went for a search to find a new book until he put it back with growing frustration.

The cycle went on.

The circle was round with no ending, exactly like his search.

Tom had started with the book he first found the spell 'sanguis constringitur'. He cursed himself over and over again for being so stupid that he taught his servants the spell in one of their meetings.

He found nothing in that book but continued with the next one _'Top 937 nastiest spells since 1238' _and moved on with. _'Seventeenth – Century's darkest curses' _He sighed and opened next. _'300 idiot proof Tips & Tricks to conquer the magical world ; A manual for the aspiring next Dark Lord' _Is this some kind of joke? Why are they keeping this in a school? Wow, Armando Dippet really is stupider than he looks. After a moment of hesitation, Tom let the book slid into his bag. It may be useful in the future.

_'Painful Curses and how you avoid them'_ Caught his attention. But the book turned out to be a disappointment. It only contained instructions on how you avoid getting hit. _Like pretend to drop your wand worked._ The more he read the more crazier it got.

"How does the authors manage to get their books published?" He asked out load. Of course he expected no answer. So, when a deep voice answered...

"Oh I don't know but there is certainly a market for these so called authors. But I prefer to refer them, pardon my expression, as lunatics."

...Tom jumped off his chair. Which means, he fell to the floor.

"Sir." He said when his gray eyes met the blue piercing. Even if he disliked the professor, he felt relieved to see the man. If he was at Hogwarts, it meant Hermione could get a treatment.

"Mr. Riddle." The man with the blue eyes answered. He seemed to be rather exhausted but the twinkle in his eyes was there as always. "Why do I find you in the library in such a late hour?"

Tom checked his wristwatch 00:35 am. "Sir, you have to go to the Hospital Wing!" He said and got up from the floor.

Albus Dumbledore raised a brow.

"I mean..." Tom flushed angrily. "She is hurt, it's Hermione. She was hit by a spell." He hesitated before he added the almost half – truth. "I believe she was hit by a spell called 'sanguis constringitur', she has, I mean, had Hypothermia and she is vomiting... blood. I was searching for a counter spell. That is why I'm here late."

Albus' face was stuck in a surprised expression. For the first time Tom Riddle showed signs in wanting to help someone else than himself. Is it possible that his watch over the boy have been successful? Albus had almost lost all the hope about him.

Professor Dumbledore smiled one of his weird smiles and took a seat beside Tom. And a wave of relief washed over Tom. When Professor Dumbledore was back in school he certainly would help him heal Hermione.

But it was then Dumbledore dropped the bomb. "I am afraid I can't do anything to break the curse." He said sadly.

Tom's smile froze. His blood started to boil. What did he expect, really? Tom wanted to wipe the self centered smile off his face. He knew a few good hexes. His fingers itched and he clenched his fists together. His eyes followed the traitor stand up with a sigh, ready to leave.

How easy it was to hurl a curse at his back when he walked away. Dumbledore certainly deserved it. Tom had brought out his wand when he turned around.

"Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci, wrote his books backwards?" Professor Dumbledore suddenly asked him.

Tom stared back confused. How did Dumbledore know about Leonardo Da Vinci, a muggle?

"He wrote down his spells backwards too." Dumbledore said with a chuckle, like he thought about an old friend. "It's a clever but yet simple way to hide secrets and sometimes spells." His eyes twinkled. He turned on his heel and left.

Tom stared at his retreating back, dumbstruck. But after a moment it hit him. Of course!

'_sanguis constringitur_' became '_rutignirtsnoc siugnas_', a counter spell.

Simple but also effective, just as Dumbledore had described it.

…**.**

**r.a.b. shoulda lived** : I'm delighted to see that you translated the spell in google translate! Nice that you caught that ;)


	18. act18

Hermione recovered quickly after the '_sanguis constringitur_' spell had been broken. But Madam Wakefield had kept her in the Hospital Wing a couple of days to pump her with sleeping potions and blood transfusion. From all the potions in her system she had remained a bit dizzy but when Madam Wakefield told her that she had to go back to the orphanage over Christmas she was abruptly brought up from the dizzy. She objected angrily, telling everyone who cared to hear that she certainly didn't have to go home. No one cared to listen.

Hermione was annoyed and quite angry when she boarded the Hogwarts Express a cold crispy morning. A part of her was extremely confused, why Tom Riddle suddenly fuzzed over her.

"No, you don't have to carry my bag!" She told him angrily when he offered it to her. He was hurt, she saw it but didn't care. Instead she levitated the bag beside her when she searched for an empty compartment, as far as way from Tom Riddle. But when he insisted to chose the same as her she just let out a sigh.

Her inner paranoia told her to check every shadow and under the seat. Zack's hopeless and hollow eyes followed her in her dreams every night. She shuddered and took a place next to the window. Tom took the opposite seat.

The train thumped against the rails and the sound made Hermione sleepy. The safe darkness of sleep embraced her. For the first time in weeks she actually slept peaceful, except for when she was drugged with sleeping potions, and dreamt about nothing particular. Only once was her peaceful dream threatened. She had started to freeze and was coming back to reality when comfortable warmth returned to her.

A mechanic voice pronounced _"In half an hour we're back at King's Cross Station, London." _

Hermione stirred and her eyes started to flutter open. At first she was utterly confused, she didn't remember where she was. She was apparently leaning on someone's shoulder. She softly turned on her head and the arm around her shoulders quickly disappeared. Her brain was still sleepy and the only thing she was able to comprehend was how comfortable the situation was. She hadn't had much of physical contact in her life. A part from in sixth year, she and Charles Potter had been going out. But they drifted apart before it even began. Luzia had been extremely angry when she found out.

"Wake up sleepyhead. We're back in London." Tom said with a dead tone, he handed her the bag.

She took it and without a look behind, she walked out.

"Miss Hermione! Here!" One of the girls from the orphanage stood there waving. Both Hermione and Tom had left the magical world. And as every time she stepped into the muggle world, she felt sad and hollow. The depression trickled into her body and reached her heart.

Hermione sighed and headed towards the waving girl. She was apparently new. Hermione hadn't met her before. But many of the staff came and went. The life cycle.

…**.**

Hermione sat in her uncomfortable small bed. The small room she lived in was gray and boring. The dull light from the,very unclean window, was just enough for her to read the small letters in the dark magic book.

She was a bit uncomfortable with the situation and checked the door every five minutes. If someone found her with a dark magic book... even if a muggle did, Hermione shuddered and didn't dare to think about it. But she couldn't put it down until she had read through it. And after this book she would go and search for another one.

Knowledge is power... knowledge about dark power is even more power.

Just the thought, to know that she had gained so much power, was extremely satisfying. But when the memory of Black's dark spell came to her mind, she tried to push it away. She had become the victim of a dark curse and she didn't like it at all. She clenched her fists together. The book fell from her bed and onto the floor. She had intentions to pick it up.

But she heard something.

A voice.

Someone screamed.

No.

It were two persons.

One screamed while the other shouted.

Something was definitely going on. She opened the door and checked the corridor.

"No, get inside again!"

Hermione turned her attention to the same girl who had been waiting for her on the station. Her gray dress had stains from the cooking and her colorless hair was in a loose bun. She pushed Hermione back in again.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked and noticed the creepy silence, except for the two person's screaming. The air was filled with fear.

"Get in, get in!"

"But what's happening?"

"It's him."

"Who him? Who?"

"Mr Daniels. Oh, I should have known this would happen. He's not very fond of the Riddle boy."

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she understood. "Is it Tom and Mr Daniels out there?"

"Yes, we better stay on our rooms. It can get very nasty when Mr Daniels is in this mood. I don't want any of the children to get hurt."

"But Tom is getting hurt!" The words slipped her lips before she could tell. Why on earth did she care about him so sudden? He deserved it! No he didn't...

The girl with the rat face didn't agree. "Listen here, it's better if just one gets hurt instead of everyone in the group. And as far as I've heard, is Riddle the black sheep here. I would say, he deserves this. I have responsibility over everyone here and I must think about the groups best!"

Hermione's vision turned red. "Do you call this responsibility? To hide in a room while one of the orphans gets beaten up?" She didn't wait for an answer. She threw herself out of the room and ignored the girl's curses.

Mr Daniels' office was located in the ground – floor. Near the basement. Hermione had wondered before why he had chosen that bad place for an office. Now she realized.

That jerk had battered children for years. Somewhere when Hermione was still in school, it had escalated. Children and the staff were afraid of him and didn't dare to speak about it.

She slammed the door open to his office and found nothing, no one. Growling she headed for the basement. The small corridor was lit by a single light bulb. She brought out her wand. The light bulb blinked.

She mumbled 'Lumos'.

During her run downstairs, she hadn't met anyone. All the doors to the rooms were closed, apparently locked too.

In a small room, very similar to a cell, she found them. Mr Daniels had a black eye and his hair was on it's end. Tom on the other hand had bruises and scratches is his whole face and neck. Their clothes didn't look perfect either.

Mr Daniels turned around with a mad expression on his face. Tom slid down the wall. But Hermione's attention was on the man in front of her.

When she raised her wand, she had nothing in her head. Just pure emptiness.

His eyes grew wide.

The heroine would probably say something witty before killing the bad guy off. The hero would also live happily ever after. But Hermione doubted she would do. After all was she the heroine?

No.

In the ugly reality she didn't say a witty comment. She didn't give him a second to think. She simply shouted a dark spell.

His fingers started to tear up the skin on his neck.

His eyes were bloodshot. And almost jumped out of their sockets.

He desperately gasped for air.

His death was not short and also quite painful. Hermione felt satisfied by that fact.

She turned her gaze towards Tom. He stared back with a horrifying look on his face. He couldn't believe what he had seen.

She stared down at the lifeless body in front of her. She didn't pity him. She simply couldn't pity him.

The vacuum of feelings was a relief, for now. It was silent.

Tom broke it. "Is he dead?"

She nodded. She knew without checking. Mr Daniels life was put to an end fast and without mercy.

A pair of running feet in the stairs caught their attention. Hermione raised her wand.

Tom's eyes glowed in the dark. "Someone's coming!" His pale face switched face expression from fear to anger and back to fear when he couldn't find his wand.

The running steps grew faster. "Have you seen this, Mr Daniels? Look what I've found! The girl is just as bad as the boy." The nameless girl with the rat face who had met them on the station before and the very same girl Hermione had pushed to the side, came down the stairs.

She ran down the stair and held out a book. She didn't notice them at first. She had her whole attention focused on the book in her hands. With fear Hermione realizes, that is the book she had read in her room! She had left it there and the girl had probably picked it up.

"oh." It was everything the nameless girl let out when she found herself in front of Hermione's wand. She dropped the book on the floor. The book about dark curses fell to the floor with a load 'bump'. Hermione's grip on the wand tightened.

The girl held up her hands. "Please!" She said. "I won't tell!"

Hermione tilted her head to the side. Her lips curled in a unhappily smile. "Of course, bien sûr." The french phrase slipped her lips before she realized what she had said. But she had no time to think about it as the nameless girl opened her mouth to scream.

Hermione stopped her.

The scream crept back in her throat. She gasped for air, just like Mr Daniels had done before, when the throat pursed together.

But she hadn't done anything, really... She had obviously been a part of the conspiracy between her and Mr Daniels. But she wasn't a horrible person like him. She didn't deserve to die like this.

Hermione broke the spell and magically broke her neck. The nameless girl's body fell to the ground.

The vacuum returned.

Until. "Did you kill her? Is she dead? Hermione, answer me!" The demanding tone in his voice made her feel sick. Did he think he was in some sort of position to govern over her?

_5 murders... add 2 more._

_That make 7. She was responsible for 7 deaths, murders._

"Did you do this for me?"

She simply nodded. With her back towards him.

His chuckling disturbed her thoughts. Was he laughing? She turned around, in her misery, to face him.

He smiled and laughed. It was pure happiness. "You killed that bastard! You killed him!" He turned his handsome face towards her. "I love you!"

Hermione's jaw fell. Is he high on something?

Tom took a few steps towards her and pulled her into an embrace. She stood in his arms stiff, still not knowing what the hell was going on.

"He is gone, he's gone!" He said happily and pressed his lips against hers.

Her misery disappeared. It was kind of nice. After all this was exactly what every girl dreamt of. The handsome Slytherin prefect. His smooth lips were warm. Tom's silky ebony locks touched her forehead. His hair was like a girl's. One part of her opened her mouth slightly to let the battle between their tongues start. Another part of her started to scream. Or maybe she opened her mouth because she wanted to scream, to get away from him. Or maybe she just wanted to stay with him.

His arms around her felt _protecting_. And _protecting_ was a word she normally never would use to describe him. Actually it depended on, Tom Riddle had many faces. He was the humble, hardworking orphan but to a few he was the ruthless, power seeking master.

A small movement._ "This is wrong. You know him he's bad. He doesn't care about you!" _The voice was distant.

She opened one eye. Lucy?

Her eye focused and found another pair of eyes staring back at her. The usual gray eyes wore the color of red. She recalled, she had seen it before.

He had the face of an angel but who said the devil had an ugly face?

…**.**

They agreed to throw Mr Daniels and the nameless girl down the stairs to the basement to make it look like they fell. Hermione cast a couple of charms on the rest of the orphans and the staff. Tom watched her work. He wished he had turned seventeen. But he was still sixteen and wasn't allowed to use magic out of school.

The kiss. He regretted it. She had pushed herself away from him. She hadn't looked him in the eyes since that _incident_. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it and felt more unhappy. He watched her modify the muggles memories.

She closed the door to her room and locked it. He stood outside for a while. Tom heard small cryings. He left.

The book;_300 idiot proof Tips & Tricks to conquer the magical world ; A manual for the aspiring next Dark Lord', _the root to the problems. Why had he been keeping that? Why did he have to bring it to the orphanage? Why in the hell did he kiss her?

Why did he want to comfort her when she cried, just like she had done so many years ago. He felt empty.

…**.**

**Thanks for the reviews on my story so far, I love them! And thanks to the people who has been 'favoriting' and 'alerting'.**


	19. act19

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that."

He heard a few sobs coming from her. The sudden urge to comfort her returned. She seemed to be so miserable. He grabbed her wrist. "Hermione, please tell me what's wrong!" Such a stupid question! Like killing two people was something she usually did, daily...

"Leave me alone! Get away from me!" She shook it off heavily. She backed a few steps and pointed at him. "Go away!" She screamed.

Hurt was evident in his eyes. But he obeyed, turned on his heel and left. She locked herself into her room, where she stayed.

She slide down the wall, the first tears rose. The fog returned when another headache came. Soon it felt like her head would split in two. Just like her heart did.

…**.**

January

Defense against dark arts. The only class Hermione really liked. She loved to duel, she mostly won. Not a surprise though, she was the most talented and wise witch since Rowena Ravenclaw.

She hadn't spoke to anyone, especially Tom Riddle, since the day she took the life away from two more victims. Despite the fact that Mr Daniels deserved it, the guilt returned. Luzia had given up the hope on her and chatted low with another girl. Alice Bennet was already afraid of her and made sure to get as far as possible away from her. Hermione didn't really mind. Something inside her had been broken. Something in her head was definitely broken. The headaches came and went. And a big one was coming.

"Today class, are we going to, or I'm going to cast a imperius curse on you..."

"Are you going to use a unforgivable?" The horrified voice came from the back. Hermione tilted her head to the side. She yawned, not really interested. She hadn't been interested in anything for a while.

"After Gellert Grindewald's rise and fall, is it in our headmaster's interest to learn the students at Hogwarts to throw off an imperius curse." Edgar Codrington defended himself.

99 percent of the students still seemed to be nervous. Some people switched in their seats.

"But that is not allowed!" Longbottom said.

"Do you want to sit here and wait for the next dark lord to come and curse you? Or do you want to learn how to throw it off and curse him?" Codrington said with a stern voice. "This is something you can't learn in books. But you are free to leave anytime."

No one moved a muscle.

Codrington smiled one of his rare smiles. He clapped his hands together. "Perfect! First Abbot."

Abbot walked through the classroom. Codrington waited in the front of the classroom, where no desks were placed.

"_Imperio_" He shouted and Abbot's eyes were suddenly distant.

The nervous tension in the air disappeared and was suddenly filled with laughter. Abbot jumped around in the classroom, just like a rabbit. After Codrington had released him from the spell, he became normal. But he didn't remember anything.

Next up was another boy from Gryffindor. He was forced to sing the national anthem backwards.

People laughed. But Codrington decided to show them properties they didn't knew they had. Luzia Stanford reeled every prime number between 0 and 50 693. Her glassy eyes became normal when Codrington released the spell. But when she was asked to repeat the same again, she couldn't do it.

Charles Potter was forced to recall a few memories from his early childhood.

"Who wants to be next?" Codrington asked when Charles walked back, a bit embarrassed. "Who wants to try? Perhaps, Miss Granger?"

She didn't answer at first. People stared at her. '_Don't you dare?' _She sighed and walked towards the front of the classroom.

"Perfect, Miss." Codrington said and pointed the wand towards her and whispered the unforgivable, _Imperio_.

Her head was suddenly so peaceful and so empty. She welcomed the feeling of not being able to think. She had always been a guilt – ridden thinker.

"Tell me, what numbers the fibonacci sequence contains."

"Easy!" She thought. "I will start with... 1,1"

"_Don't do it!"_

"2, 3..." What? Lucy is it you?

"_Don't do it because he say so. It's a trick! You know it!"_

But it's so hard to resist! "5, 8.."

"_Shut up, Hermione! I've already told you, it's a trick!"_

"13, 21.."

Another voice, belonging to Codrington disturbed Hermione once again. "I didn't told you to stop."

"34.,."

He had to drag the last number away from her. The fog cleared and she started to notice the world around her. Codrington stood in front of her with a stone face. Their eyes meet, his eyes twitched strangely. He turned his gaze away and returned to normal. "You see class, Miss Granger threw the curse off!"

Hermione blushed when a few started to clap.

"Class dismissed for today."

It started to buzz. "It's unfair, I didn't get the chance!" Another voice. "Yeah me neither. You said it was important."

"I said, class dismissed. Read the pages 394 to 399."

Hermione headed to the door. It was lunch after this lesson and she was starving.

"Would you mind staying, Miss Granger, I want to speak about your essay." Codrington asked when she had just reached the door.

She turned around, confused. Her eyes swept over the classroom until she focused on the professor behind the desk.

Hermione's voice was hoarse after not speaking to anyone in weeks. "If I recall correctly, you gave me an 'O' on my last essay and the one before you did the same."

"I'm not going to talk about your essay." He interrupted her. "Have a seat." He said and pointed at small chair on the other side of his desk. "There is nothing to say about you latest essays. They are exceptionally, as usual."

She sat down and furrowed her brows. "I don't understand. Why do you want to speak with me?"

He placed the tips of his fingers together. "I want to speak about today's class. You managed to throw an Imperius curse off. That is something else."

Her eyes wandered.

"Would you like something to drink, Miss Granger?" He conjured a few different drinks.

"Tea." She answered.

He nodded and handed her a cup of warm tea.

"Drink it. It's getting to you when you're under spells, such as this one." He said and sipped on his cup of tea.

Hermione swallowed the whole coup. The warm drink burned her tongue. She made a face. But not from the warm tea and her burned tongue. The migraine had returned in full force.

"Let's get down to business, shall we." Codrington was clearly not interested in smalltalk. "When you were under the curse, I happened to notice another present in your mind."

Hermione tried to hide her surprise. Her lips was formed like a white thin line.

"_You're not fooling him enough!"_

Her eyes wandered to a spot behind Codrington. Lucy was standing behind him. Hermione quickly hid her eyes. _You can't lie with your eyes. They are the window to your soul._ She stared at her hands in her knees.

"I became a bit concerned when I noticed this..." Codrington continued. "It's my duty to think of my student's well being."

"I have no idea of what you're talking about." She replied with a mechanic voice.

Lucy held her hand on Hermione's shoulder. _"That's good, Hermione. No emotions. Keep it up. __Don't let him crush you!" _Lucy supported her.

"No emotions!" Hermione repeated with a dead tone.

Lucy gasped and the grip on Hermione's shoulders intensified. _"You said it out load! You idiot, you imbecile! You said it out load. Good luck explaining this!"_

"I'm sorry, Lucy, I'm sorry!" She whimpered. Her whole head throbbed.

"Excuse me?"

Hermione's head snapped. "Oh, I'm sorry Professor Codrington. I've been under a lot of stress lately!"

"_That is your defense? Stress? You've said that to everybody! Don't you have imagination?"_

"I say it's stress if I want!" Hermione replied angrily. With a gasp she realized, she had been speaking out load again.

Codrington eyed her suspiciously.

"I'm sorry professor."

He ignored her. "Miss Granger, we have been watching you for a while. You don't seem to be mentally healthy."

Hermione blinked a few times. "What? I don't understand sir. Why wouldn't I be mentally stable?" She laughed hysterically. "That's absurd! It's outraging." Why wont this headache disappear?

"After Josephine Collingwoods funeral, you broke down in the great hall."

"That was a migraine!"

Codrington ignored her once again. "You lay on the floor while you repeatedly mumbled the name, _Lucy_. That is exactly the name you mentioned earlier this conversation." He stopped and scanned her. "You were gone several days after. I've checked the records, you haven't been visiting the orphanage in London."

"You have no rights to do that!" That was Tom Riddle's fault!

"As a matter of fact, yes I do. One of the students in Gryffindor have been telling us about how you talked into thin air at the Yule ball. The student felt threatened. You burst out and screamed, _Lucy_, once again." His stern voice certainly matched his stony face.

Hermione wanted to leave, run away. Suddenly all the pieces fell to the right place. "It was Alice Bennet right! She snitched!"

"I can't give you that information." He said.

The headache was suddenly abruptly pushed to the side when her vision turned red. "Why not? You have been checking my records. You have been reading information about me!"

"It's because of the greater good."

"The greater good? What is that?" She stood up and leaned over the desk. Still shouting insults over him.

"Miss Granger, I must ask you to calm down."

"Calm down? You tell me to calm down?!"

He forced her to sit down magically. When she was shattered by the chair again, he continued his speech. "Two muggles died at your orphanage this Christmas break."

"They fell down the stairs to the basement. It was a tragic accident. I had nothing to do with it."

"_Way to go girl!"_ Lucy cheered. _"Don't let him get you._"

"Really?" He asked. "The ministry investigated this. They found traces of strong dark magic. You are the only suspect, since Mr Riddle hadn't turned seventeen at that moment."

"You have no proof!"

A small knock on the door. Without waiting for an answer, Albus Dumbledore stepped inside. His always so twinkling eyes was icy. His appearance had no traces of his usual cheerfulness. "Good day to you, Miss Granger, I was expecting to see you here. Unfortunately the circumstances isn't the best.. "

A wave of relief came over her. "Professor Dumbledore, have you heard what he is accusing me of? Murder!" She screamed.

Lucy chuckled. _"Keep this act up and they will free you any minute."_

"I'm afraid I'm playing in your opposite team." He turned to Codrington. "I brought the books from her dorm."

With fear, Hermione recognized the books, they had been hidden in her chest of drawer.

"Clearly dark books. A few of them a disturbingly dark."

"Hey, I have them because of my studies! For essays and such! Background information and, and... light reading."

"You call _'100 dark curses and potions' _and_ 'Spells from the Peverell family' _light reading?"

"Why do you keep them in the library, for every student to pick it up?"

They ignored her.

"Our conclusion is; You wont confess. That is why we're doing this."

"Doing what?"

Codrington handed her a scroll of parchment. 'Extraordinary Permission to perform the spell 'Legilimency' on a suspect out of court.'

"What is this?" She asked them terrified.

"Special permission from the minister of magic to perform the spell 'Legilimency' on a suspect student. The school have certain suspicions." Codrington clarified.

Albus snapped his fingers while mumbling 'Legilimens'.

1937

_The others left her on the ground. Both the girls and boys. Hermione had never been hit in her life. She had never felt the emotion who raced through her body. It was sadness and feelings of being alone with anger. She wanted to hurt him._

"_Are you all right?" Tom the quiet boy asked her and interrupted her thoughts._

"_You don't have anything to do with that!" Hermione stated. "Leave me alone."_

_Tom's already cold eyes froze and his face turned into stone. "Fine" he turned around and walked back. _

_Hermione ignored him and walked fast towards the bunch of kids at the cliff. Zack Baker hit another boy with his stick near the cliff precipice. The rocks were slippery from the water. The girl felt how the raw emotions raced through her veins. Only Sarah, that hag, had made her fell so angry and helpless. Hermione remembered the first time she performed magic. She had shaved of Sarah's hair. With a smile she returned to reality and her emotions._

_She had no empathy in that moment, just anger._

_Her vision turned red._

"_Slip" she whisper under her breath. _

_She had no idea why he slipped. _

_Why he stumbled towards the end of the cliff and actually fell off. _

_She had wanted it to happen, badly._

_She ran to the group and heard Tom Riddle behind her. The boys and girls screamed. _

_Zack never came up to the water surface. Something held him down, dragged him to the bottom. _

_Zack fought against the urge to breath. But when he reached the point when his brain shut of and his instincts took over. He breathed... _

_He had never seen something so beautiful in his short life before. Everything seemed to slow down. Bubbles floated around his head. _

_Zack smiled at the peaceful moment. He saw white stars dancing around him._

_As the white faded away, darkness replaced it._

_Hermione suddenly wanted to laugh, laugh at the poor boy who couldn't get up to the water surface. Her will held him down. _

"_Oh, you can't come up again?" Said Hermione and bent down to pick the baby bird up. Not without a minor fight, though. But when the bird was in her hands it stopped to fight. _

"_So what's wrong with you, little one?" Hermione said again and tried to inspect the bird. "You are beautiful." She said when the light hit the brown varicolored feather mail._

"_Freak!"_

_The crow's croak got stuck in it's throat, it fell down from the tree, dead._

_Amy and Dennis backed away, not knowing what to do. They realized they had crossed the border._

"_Amy..?" Dennis made it sound like a question. He was terrified and cursed himself for being so acquisitive. He had followed her because of the awaiting medal of honor he was going to receive. _

"_Dennis." She replied and took his hand. Hermione came closer, anger burning in her eyes. It was almost beautiful, her circling around the victims, just like a predator._

1942

"_Don't touch me.." Myrtle hissed. "I said don't touch me!" When Hermione didn't back away Myrtle took a deep breath and yelled. "DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FILTHY ORPHAN!"_

1945

"_Hi, I am Lucy!"_

_Hermione turned around but didn't find a living soul in the corridor, neither a ghost. She turned her attention to the nearby paintings. But they were either sleeping or nowhere to be seen. After a moments of hesitation she sighed and brushed it off. Probably Peeves pulling a prank._

_She slid down the wall and placed her head between her knees. She shut down the world around her and when her wand flew out of her wand holster, she opened her eyes to see who had taken it, but the light..._

… _the light burned her eyes and she let a scream slip her lips._

"_Hey, Granger what's wrong with you?" Malfoy's voice asked from distant._

_She stood up on shaky legs and held a hand over her eyes, to protect them and started to fumble blind. Someone grabbed her and shook her._

"_What's wrong with her?" Black's voice echoed. _

"_Letmego." Hermione spluttered. "IsaidletmegoyoubastardsIamaheadgirl"_

"_Get up from the floor! Don't be so egotistic, we're in the same boat!"_

_Hermione stood up on her shaky legs. For a moment she had no idea were she was. She was in a room with grey stone walls and a floor strewed with rat bones. It came light from somewhere but she couldn't see where it actually came from. The pounding behind her eye had been accompanied with pain in the back of her head. Her fingers traced and found a swelling. She leaned on the wall to steady herself. Lucy grew impatient when Hermione covered her eyes from the light._

"_There is hardly any light here." Lucy's voice was sour. "Besides, you should be up, searching for a way out of here." _

"_It hurts in my eyes." Hermione's voice was weak. _

"_Did you know that the first sign of insanity is hearing and talking to inner voices?" Lucy said with an amused matter – of – fact tone. Hermione grew a bit confused when she noticed Lucy's sudden mood swing._

"_You are wrong. It's when you're fighting with the voices... and they wins." Hermione said with a little of the old know – it – all voice. The headache wasn't so bad anymore and the fog wasn't visible. She actually felt much better. _

"_We fought before... and I won." Lucy said proud of herself. _

"_Leave me alone!"_

"_Zack, do you have a favorite song? Can you sing it to me?"_

"_I have one.. it's called itsy bitsy spider."_

_Hermione smiled. One of her favorites when she was a kid. "Great choice."_

_His voice sung the first verses and it was louder from the right direction. _

_The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout. Down came the rain, and washed the spider out. _

"_Beautiful. Keep singing!" Hermione praised him and walked in the direction of his voice. It was much easier to follow a singing voice._

_Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. _  
><em>- - -<em>  
><em>Hermione took off her wet robe and put it around his shoulders, swept it around him, to at least warm him. "You are ice cold, kid." She said as she felt his freezing cheeks and brushed away his hair from his forehead. He shuddered but seemed to be more comfortable with the too big robe around him.<em> _She stared into his face and for the first time she really saw his face features. It was something awfully familiar about him. Like an old friend, from the past, she had half forgot. A lump in her stomach formed and she started to sweat._  
>"<em>What is your full name, kid?" Half of her screamed to her to not ask that question, the other half demanded to know the answer.<em>  
><em>He answered with his childish wide eyes. But with a different tone, more dark, not the high 'come and save me tone'. "My full name is, Zackarias Tobias Baker." <em>  
><em>- - -<em>

"_You witch! I always knew you belonged at a mental hospital!"_

"_The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout." _

"_Electroshock therapy is what you deserve!"_

"_Down came the rain, and washed the spider out." _

_Someone pulled her hair, causing her head to hit the floor. _

"_Down came the rain, and washed the spider out... but the itsy bitsy spider never made it up again."_

_Moonlight. Deep shadows from the trees framed the scene._

_Hermione hurled a curse. Black screamed in agony as it hit him in the chest. His girlfriend also screamed and then fainted as he fell to his knees. Lucy cheered happily and performed a kind of war dance. _

_Black stared at his hands as they became gray and lifeless. His eyes became wider when they started to dehydrate and his nails fell off. After a few seconds, his gray skin stretched over dry bone pipes. His freezing scream in despair broke the winds peaceful whirring in the treetops. _

_Hermione ignored Lucy's cheering ("Haha, you got what you deserved, at last!") _

_Hermione's attention was on the man in front of her. Mr Daniels, the root every problem and fear in the orphanage._

_When she raised her wand, she had nothing in her head. Just pure emptiness. _

_His eyes grew wide._

_The heroine would probably say something witty before killing the bad guy off. The hero would also live happily ever after. But Hermione doubted she would do. After all was she the heroine?_

_No._

_In the ugly reality she didn't say a witty comment. She didn't give him a second to think. She simply shouted a dark spell. _

_His fingers started to tear up the skin on his neck. _

_His eyes were bloodshot. And almost jumped out of their sockets._

_He desperately gasped for air._

_His death was not short and also quite painful. Hermione felt satisfied by that fact._

"_oh." It was everything the nameless girl let out when she found herself in front of Hermione's wand. She dropped the book on the floor. The book about dark curses fell to the floor with a load 'bump'. Hermione's grip on the wand tightened. _

_The girl held up her hands. "Please!" She said. "I won't tell!"_

_Hermione tilted her head to the side. Her lips curled in a unhappily smile. "Of course, bien sûr." The french phrase slipped her lips before she realized what she had said. But she had no time to think about it as the nameless girl opened her mouth to scream._

_Hermione stopped her. _

_The scream crept back in her throat. She gasped for air, just like Mr Daniels had done before, when the throat pursed together. _

_The nameless girl's body fell to the ground as Hermione magically broke her neck._

…**.**

Both Albus' and Edgar's jaws had dropped. It was more murders than they possibly could comprehend at this moment. They had their suspicions before. But they didn't expect that. Miss Granger was an exceptionally student and Head Girl. She had straight 'O's in every subject. Her magical aura was much stronger than other people in her age.

Both Dumbledore and Codrington had expected much of her. They had never given this a thought. That the star student was mentally unstable and a murderer.

She had described all the 'attacks' as headaches. But according to her memories had something been wrong long before she attended Hogwarts and the migraines started.

And this _Lucy_ figure. The person she talked to. The person, only _she_ saw.

Dumbledore saw all the signs. And he know what they lead to. Mental disorders such as 'Paranoid Schizophrenia' and 'Multiple personal disorder'. This girl would be happy if she got away from Lobotomy. Dumbledore promised himself to do as much as he could to keep her away from that.

Miss Granger was removed from the school that night. She was escorted, hidden by the dark, by men from Saint Mungo and Dumbledore. He couldn't stand letting the poor and confused girl go alone. At least she would have a hand to hold when her whole future disappeared in thin air.

The guilt from his decision was going to haunt him every second, until he left the living world.

…**.**

**Prosecutor of Magic laws**: Do you find the girl guilty to the murders?

**E.C**: The evidence points in that direction. But I don't think she deserves Azkaban. She is mentally unstable. She have described the attacks as migraines. I do believe her. She seems to be in much pain.

**Prosecutor of Magic laws**: Wouldn't the school have found out about this earlier, about her mentally illness?

**E.C**: Miss Granger was and still am, an extraordinary actress. She fooled us all. But in my option, I don't think she realized what she did. She had no clue.

**[Silent]**

**Prosecutor of Magic laws**: No further questions.

**Judge:** What is the outcome, jury?

**Jury**: According to the evidence the Prosecutor of Magic laws has presented, we find Hermione Jean Granger, Guilty.

**Judge**: Since Miss Granger is mentally unstable and so young I will place her on Saint Mungo's insanity ward.

…**.**

**Holy flying duck! Her actions caught up on her. Thanks for all the awesome reviews! There is one chapter and a prologue left. Keep in touch!**


	20. LAST PART, Act20, 1946 & 1950

1946

_They_ had stripped her naked. Removed her clothes and the Head Girl badge she had been so fond of. _They_ replaced her clothes with a colorless dress, it didn't fit her.

_They_ had taken away every ounce of her dignity.

_They_ had shaved her head and tattooed numbers on her head.

She wasn't 'Hermione Granger' anymore.

_They_ had taken her name from her.

417 – 522 was her new identity.

…**.**

1950

Two women sat in a white room. The cold, economic furnished room was located in the trauma/insanity ward in Saint Mungo. The patient in this room had a glorious view from her window. A great fountain squirted lovely blue water up in the air. The evergreen velvet grass was lush, as usual. A few peacocks locked after worms in the luxurious flowerbeds. Sadly this view was magically transformed. It was more interesting to look at this view than a boring wall.

One of the women. An extremely fat and heavily roughed, sat in front of the young distant woman with honey brown curls. "Hermione, dear. My name is Hepzibah Smith"

She made a face. "My name is Lucy!"

"Very well then, Lucy. I have great news for you."

"Why do you call me Lucy?" The young woman with the curly hair asked. Even if she only was a few years older than 20, she had a graying strand of hair in her bangs. She would be very pretty if she didn't have the dark circles under her eyes and the haunted look in them. The brown big eyes was constantly stressed, it was like facing a scared deer.

The fat woman with the hard styled locks, Hepzibah Smith, sighed. "Hermione." She put on a plastic, sweet smile. "You have a very nice bracelet over there." She pointed with fat fingers at the silver bracelet with a blue stone, the young woman wore. "But it's quite cheap, don't you think? I have a much better one here, more prettier!" She produced a small silvery bracelet out of thin air. In fact, Hepzibah had bought them in Diagon Alley cheap, so cheap they almost had been free.

Hermione shook her head. "No, It belonged to my mother. It was given to me when I was 15 years old."

Hepzibah furrowed her brows. And added with a malicious tone. "But do you really know it belonged to your mother?"

"Well it was written in a letter." Hermione revealed.

"Anyone can falsify a written letter."

"But it was.." She started to straddle. "It had a signature."

"Who's signature?" Hepzibah asked shamelessly.

"I don't know." Hermione hung her head. She wasn't so sure anymore. What if the bracelet hadn't belonged to her mother. She brought back the letter in her head.

_Dear Miss. Hermione._

_I accidentally stumbled upon this bracelet. After a bit searching I found out that it belonged to your mother. So it is my duty to return it to you._

_A.P.W.B.D_

She had no idea who A.P.W.B.D was. He or she could be anyone! The bracelet might even be under a spell! And she had carried it around for years! What if it was the bracelet's influence that took her to this place. Made her crazy! To live a life without headaches and Lucy... She knew she would sacrifice everything. She wanted her old life back, so badly.

Hermione turned her gaze back at Hepzibah again. "We can trade." Sure she could give that cursed bracelet to the annoying woman in front of her.

Hepzibah smiled. "That's lovely, Hermione!"

A sour eye cast from the young woman.

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

"That's better." She said and gave the fat lady her silver bracelet. In return she got the cheap fake bracelet from the Diagon Alley.

Hepzibah Smith smiled wide when she retreated from Saint Mungo to return home. She had gotten one of the parts in the french Dureé jewelry set. The bracelet was worth a yearly income. Hepzibah Smith loved collecting rare pieces. But the two things she was most proud of was; Salazar Slytherin's locket and Helga Hufflepuff's cup.

The french bracelet was going to fit in her collecting extremely well. Hepzibah would love it and appreciate it, just as it deserved, rather than letting the silly, mentally unstable girl have it.

…**.**

The old man came to Saint Mungo's trauma ward exactly as the visiting hours began. He had gray hair and a mustache. He wore a deep purple robe with a green cape. He smiled to the stressed healers when they rushed by. He had a secret mission. He was going to free the last now living Dureé. A young woman who was abducted from her home when she was one year old. She had no clue of who she was. It was his mission to give her that information and to return her home.

He smiled his charming smile towards a tired healer. "Visiting hours now, busy day?" He asked him.

The tired healer responded by smiling a weak smile. "You can't imagine. We have to make the patients to look presentable for the visits from their relatives. That isn't easy!"

"What about patient Hermione Granger? I'm going to visit her in a moment. I hope she isn't too hard to work with." He said.

"No, not at all. She is very calm, actually she seems healthy, except from her 'episodes'."

"What kind of episodes?"

"A couple of years ago we started to call them their given names. Which turned out to be very effective, many patients made a huge progress. Even Hermione Granger."

"You didn't call the patients by their names?"

The healer's eyes wandered. He seemed to be uncomfortable from the questions. "We refereed them by numbers."

The old man snorted. Clearly angry.

The healer changed the subject back to Hermione. "But in her episodes, she doesn't want to be called 'Hermione' nor 'Miss Granger', she prefers _Lucy_ at those moments. It can change drastically, and suddenly she ask us why we call her _Lucy_. "

The old man nodded. "I see, I see. Thanks for warning me."

"No problem." The tired healer rushed to another room. A patient had problems in a room nearby. Dark blue smoke came from that room and the old man resisted to take a look.

He knocked softly on the door. No one answered. He hesitated. But opened the door slowly, unsure if he would look or not. He knew how inappropriate it was to just simply walk in on a lady.

The young woman sat alone in a comfortable sofa, facing the window and the fake view.

"Miss Dureé?" The old man with the mustache said with a soft tone. His french accent was very clear.

She was silent. Until she spoke with a raspy voice. "I have been given many names in my short life, but I've never heard of a 'Miss Dureé'."

The old man smiled and chuckled while he walked up to her and sat down beside her. "Well, it's about time someone called you your real name. The name your parents gave you."

She turned to face him. He scanned her features, they should belong to an old woman, not this girl. She had a gray strand of hair in her bangs. But her dead eyes had a small sparkle, a small fire, somewhere deep inside. "Who are you?"

He stood up and took her hand, simply pressing a kiss on it. "Ma'am, my name is Pierre Chevalier."

She watched him with round eyes. "What makes me deserve this honor, Mr Chevalier."

He bowed slightly. "I've come here to tell you about the order of, _La excepción de la existencia_."

"What is that?"

"A french society of powerful wizards and witches that swore to protect you when your parents died. We call ourselves _La excepción de la existencia_, spanish for The exception of the existence."

She laughed. "You're a french society with a spanish name! That doesn't make sense!"

Pierre Chevalier smiled back. "The Dureé family have roots in many countries in Europe. France, Spain and England for an example. The Dureé family is distant relatives to the Gaunt family who is relatives to the Peverells, and the Peverells is descents to the noble Slytherin house." He counted on his fingers as he spoke.

"Why do you tell me this? Even if I might be a Dureé, I'm locked into this place my whole life. Besides, I don't speak a word of french!"

"Haven't your lips slipped a single word of french in your life?" A smug smile curled on his lips.

_The nameless girl held up her hands. "Please!" She said. "I won't tell!"_

_Hermione tilted her head to the side. Her lips curled in a unhappily smile. "Of course, bien sûr." The french phrase slipped her lips before she realized what she had said. But she had no time to think about it as the nameless girl opened her mouth to scream._

"I might have done that..." Hermione admitted.

"And your- er... living situation." He leaned forwards. "That's where I come into the picture."

She furrowed her brows.

He chuckled. "The fact is, I don't think you are crazy at all. You're not more mentally unstable than me."

She shook her head. "Haven't you heard of what I've done?"

He ignored her. "I think your weak moments in your life depends on, stress. You see, young lady, our body creates an illusion of being chased when we faces hard times in our life."

"That doesn't justify the murders."

"Look, our society can choose to see through that. You had a horrible childhood on that orphanage..." He added with a sad tone. "We could have given you a normal childhood with a pair of loving parents, but that would be to risky. Gellert Grindewald had a price on your parents heads. We wanted to make sure you would be safe. And why, would Grindewald expect an Orphanage in the war torn London?"

"I am not _me_, _Hermione_ anymore. Hermione fights _Lucy_ in my body. My body can't take more." She made a gesture to make him look at her face. "Look at me, I've already gray hair strands, my face is lined. I feel like a 80 year old woman not like 22 years old. I am tired, so tired."

"Miss Dureé, I have an explanation for that. The stress you've suffered from are the quite surmountable deaths of the muggles. Anyone would be stressed by that. After all those years from stress, the fight or flight mechanism, something just broke down inside you. You created this ghost personality, _Lucy_. _Lucy_ was your shield and protection."

Hermione hung her head. "I created this? It was me who got me here, not the bracelet."

"What bracelet?"

"It was said to belong to my mother. I got a letter from an A.P.W.B.D, saying it was his or her duty to return it to me. It was obviously fake or under a curse. I got rid of it."

Pierre Chevalier turned white, all the blood from his face drowned. "Was it by any chance a silver bracelet with a blue stone?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"Because it did belong to your mother." His tone was desperate. "Why didn't you believe the letter? Who do you think A.P.W.B.D is? He was one of your teachers, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Hermione's jaw dropped. She stood up on shaky legs. She wore a colorless robe around her shoulders and a long, white dress. She turned to face the window. The curly hair was messy and danced around her old face. Pierre watched her when her shoulders started to shake. Her dry sobs echoed in the room.

"I gave away the only thing I had from my mother. I gave away a piece of myself!"

"Don't say that, I'm sure we can get it back.. "

She turned around. The tears on her cheeks glittered. "No you don't understand. I gave it away because _Lucy_ said so! She told me it was because of that bracelet I came to this place. I don't want to be her. I want to be Hermione again! I want to be free!"

He smiled faint at her. "You can't be free here. Return to your home, France."

"They wont let me!"

"Who said that?"

"I don't know... _they_." The hesitant answer came as a whisper. She fiddled and twisted with her fingers at the very thought of _they_. The memory of what _they_ had done to her was still in fresh memory.

"Let me tell you this, _they_ doesn't exist. Return to your rightful place. The Dureé Manor needs it's mistress back." Pierre said.

She hesitated. "It's impossible. I can't! I can't!"

Miss Dureé, everything is possible, with a little help of magic, of course." He blinked. "And with help from a certain Mr Dumbledore... "

"Albus Dumbledore?"

"The very same. He has agreed to modify a few people's memory and erase your name from a certain piece of parchment."

She smiled faint. He stood up and gestured her to do the same.

"Take my arm, Miss Dureé." Pierre Chevalier said and held it out. "You have nothing to loose."

She did take his arm. Suddenly life didn't feel so hard anymore. It made her smile once again. For what Hermione knew, she was going to take control over her life again. She was going to take control over Lucy. She was 22 years old and she had her whole life in front of her, and sure was she going to live her life to the fullest...

… and they was not going to find her. She wont allow them to haunt her in her dreams. That was only possible if she left this place.

_A person who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life._ And she had wasted five years, locked into this boring room. Facing a window with a view that didn't exist. But not anymore, not anymore!

Hermione smiled with confidence.

Lucy wasn't a part of her anymore.

…**.**

**Last chapter done... but the prologue remains! I hope that it was satisfying so far. If you think the ending was pretty weird.. I can tell you it's supposed to be. The whole order of 'La excepción de la existencia' is kinda weird. After all the meaning of the title didn't reveal itself until the very end of the story.**

**But stick with me. There is a prologue left. I can tell you one thing about it; The story returns to 1998... Thanks for the awesome reviews so far, keep them coming! **


	21. Epilogue, act21

**Epilogue**

1998

His pale fingers touched a old blurry photograph. It was a mugglephoto, which means, the two persons in the photo didn't move. They were literally frozen in time, always 11 years old.

The girl with the bushy hair was taller than the boy. Even if the photo was black and white he remembered the colors around them. And specially the colors of her eyes... Dark Brown.

Life hadn't been easy then. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he somehow missed it. He shook his head in anger, he certainly didn't miss it.

The hands clutched around the photo.

He didn't want to hold it.

It was filthy, the photograph was taken by a muggle.

But the hand refused to let it slip.

_Slip_, that word reminded him of something. The memory made him smile with his lip less mouth.

His smile dropped when his eyes caught another photograph. He wasn't disgusted by this one. It was a wizardry photo.

It were the same persons in the photo but older. He spotted the Hogwarts robes and the head boy/girl badges on them. It was a sunny day. They were both 17 years old. The boy was now taller than the girl. His handsome angelic features were framed by his ebony locks. He had an arm around the girl who still had her bushy and curly hair.

His dead heart jumped when he saw a smile playing on her lips. But she didn't smile at him, but at the boy beside her. The boy bent down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.

He wished that it was him who was the boy in the picture. However, that picture was _not_ real. It was a montage made by him in a weak moment. He had once kissed her but she had pushed him away. She had refused to speak to him in weeks and one day, she was gone. It had been snowy when she disappeared from Hogwarts.

But he still wanted to be the boy in the picture, again. It would take his pain and sweep the bitterness away. Instead he stored the photo in a pocket in his robe. With that he was going to have a part of her with him, by his side, giving him strength. He couldn't deny that his magic wasn't on top since her disappearance. The change was barely noticeable but it was a missing piece somewhere.

That picture was his last memory of her. Even if the picture was a silly montage.

He had been searching for her all day, and he still was, in the evening he became very worried. He wasn't the type who was worried but she didn't just disappeared for no reason, not Hermione.

He remembered how he had even asked Dumbledore. The head of her house. The old fool hadn't told him anything. Instead he sat behind his damn desk and assured Tom that he shouldn't be so worried.

He had wanted to curse him.

He still wanted to curse him and kill him... but Severus Snape had gotten that pleasure.

The man took his eyes away from the picture. His gaze meet a mirror, the mirror was as long as a man and the frame was silvery with red ruby ancient runes.

His reflection stared back at him.

Hermione had once said that his gray eyes were beautiful. Maybe, maybe not.. It could be something his mind made up. His memory wasn't like it used to be. He was immortal, but he started to suffer from signs of old age anyway. What's the point of living forever when your mind isn't with you?

He wondered what she would say about his red eyes.

Probably respond by screaming and cursing him. No, not screaming. She was brave. He remembered that time when she found him and the body of Myrtle in a bathroom. He had been so sure of that she would scream. Instead she slapped him.

Lord Voldemort stared at his 'self' in the mirror. He blinked, the reflection blinked back.

Look what he had achieved without her. Great Britain was by his feet, begging on knees for his mercy. Lord Voldemort had no mercy. The-boy-who-lived-just-to-die-a-painful-death was going to be defeated after all these years. Lord Voldemort was going to prove that he, only he, was the only sorcerer to rule the world. By this time next year he planned having whole Europe under control.

A soft knock on the door.

"You may come in." Voldemort turned his face to the intruder.

Lucius Malfoy gulped and ran a shaky hand through his messy long hair. "My lord, it's time. Potter and his friend has arrived."

"The Weasleyboy?" Voldemort asked. The Weasleys were pure bloods. It hurt him that it seemed like his death eaters had to kill pure bloods tonight. Even though the whole family were blood traitors.

"Yes, my lord. It's him." Malfoy replied sheepishly. He hadn't realized that the dark lord was speaking to himself.

Lord Voldemort let it pass... for this time. He had an awaiting victory.

He rounded Lucius Malfoy and stepped out of the room.

…**.**

Harry Potter stared at him with a smug smile. The fact that he had been dead minutes ago didn't seem to affect him, much.

"No, it can't be true! He's dead!" Lord Voldemort could have swore that the boy didn't move when they transported him out of the woods. Narcissa Malfoy checked his pulse, she said he was dead!

But he wasn't, Harry Potter stood there, very much alive. The Potter boy's eyes were ghostly green. Just like the forest.

Lord Voldemort realized with anger, Narcissa Malfoy had been lying. She had been betraying him and the whole new society in Great Britain, the death eaters but mostly him. She betrayed him! They all betrayed him! They called themselves his _loyal_ servants. They claimed they would die for him and his cause. They lied, they all lied!

He scanned the crowd after Narcissa Malfoy. He let a growl slip his lips when he didn't found her nor her husband by his side. "Where is the traitress?" He cried. "She lied, just like you all do!" Bellatrix Lestrange seemed to be extremely hurt by that comment.

Lord Voldemort's inner paranoia had increased by every day in the last year.

He succeed in his mission, he did indeed. Soon he would be the most powerful sorcerer in Europe, and after that, the whole world. He gained more power every day, but as he gained power, jealously grew. They were no longer afraid of him. Lies grew stronger. Narcissa had just proved this.

_Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. _

He saw it in their eyes, smelled it in the air, felt it in their auras of magic. Jealously. It was like a hungry animal. Their acquisitive cravings feasted on his flesh. They wanted the easy way, to have the power without working for it.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness... Lord Voldemort knew he deserved it. He had been working for this goal since he stepped into the magical world. He had always known, deep inside, that he was special.

"_I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt if I want to...I can speak to snakes too. They find me, they whisper to me. _"

He had always been something else. Not a freak! Not the son of Satan! He was better than all of them! He had the blood of the noble Salazar Slytherin in his veins. They had nothing! Their dirty blood were filthy... Even hers, that mudblood. She had left him without a word. He knew he didn't care about her. She was free to leave, he didn't need her.

But why did it hurt in his heart every time her name came to his mind? Why did he feel so lonely without her? Lord Voldemort would never admit out load, that Tom Riddle missed her.

People in the great hall was terrified. Even the Death Eaters. They knew what was going to happen, when their master was going to punish them for what Narcissa Malfoy had done. But not everyone where afraid...

Harry Potter taunted him. Told him to be a man.

Be a man? "I more than just _a_ man!" But at the same time he knew, he was merely a man. His mirror reflection screamed that to him.

The Potter boy claimed that the elder wand belonged to him. He said he was the master of the wand.

Anger flowed through Lord Voldemort's system and his dark aura of magic grew. People pressed themselves to the walls of the great hall, to get away from the 'electric' air.

He was going to show him. Give him a lesson. Lord Voldemort brought out _his_ wand, the elder wand. The wand he stole from the former owner, Albus Dumbledore, the fool. All the people in this hall were going to see him overcome the prophecy. This was the moment he had been waiting for in sixteen years. He was going to destroy the last threat. Harry Potter. The-boy-who-lived-just-to-die-a-painful-death.

Those sweet beautiful words.

_Avada Kedavra_

Something went terribly wrong. The wand didn't hurl the curse towards Harry Potter. It couldn't destroy it's own master. Instead it hurled the curse back. Tom's eyes grew wide. His last thought formed in his mind. He was surprised by the fact that it didn't have anything to do with his mission in life. He didn't reflect over his _almost_ empire. That he didn't achieve his goal. The he failed.

But darkness embraced him even if he failed his mission and so did silence.

"I regret that I never held on to her."

…**.**

Harry Potter went up to the Headmistress office. He had been confused when an owl interrupted his chat with Ginny. It had tapped him on the shoulder with anger when he ignored it. He sighed and excused himself from her and opened the letter. It was a small note, not exactly a letter. The sender was the new headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall. She claimed he needed to meet a special person.

And as much he didn't want to leave Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna and the whole Weasley family. He read between the lines of Minerva McGonagall's letter and understood, this was quite urgent.

And now he found himself going up the usually moving staircase, heading to the headmistress office. He knocked softly. A voice, belonging to Minerva McGonagall told him to come in. He was greeted by clapping and cheering. The old headmasters and headmistresses stood up in their portraits and cheered. It took a while for them to calm down. When they did. Harry noticed, another present in the room. An old lady with white hair sat in a comfortable chair in front of the desk. She seemed to be older than McGonagall.

"Professor." Harry greeted them. "Ma'am." He said politely at the old woman.

"After this night, I think it's in the right place to put away the titles." McGonagall said with a sigh. "You may call me Minerva, Potter."

"But _you're_ not going to call me 'Harry' instead of my surname?"

She smiled. "You can't teach an old dog to sit." She gestured with her hand towards the old woman. "Speaking of old beings, let me introduce you to, Hermione Dureé. An old friend to our dead fellow." Her face twitched at the very thought of Lord Voldemort.

"A friend to him, Voldemort?" He asked and scanned her. He tightened his grip on his wand.

Hermione noticed this. "Don't worry, young man, I have not been considered a friend to him in over 50 years. If we could call ourselves friends back then." She added. "The reason I wanted to meet you is simply, when an old gammer like me knows it's getting closer, she must let a few forgotten pieces come back to the surface."

McGonagall gestured Harry to take place in the chair beside Hermione.

"You knew Voldemort?" He asked her interested. His body language was relaxed but his eyes were suspicious.

"Oh yes, I remember it more clear than yesterday, of course I remember _Tom_. He is not easy to forget." She put emphasis on his name when she said it.

Hermione continued without hesitation. "Did I love him? Well, when I think back in that time, I consider my feelings towards him as a school crush. I don't think he ever has been able to return my feelings. But I don't think he necessary was born 'evil', he just had a bad start." She added with sorrow in her voice. "He was such a fine young man before the darkness got a grip on him."

Harry blinked several times.

Hermione leaned forwards and said serious. "I want my story to be told before it's too late. Death is catching up on me and soon I will go the same way as Tom just did. I don't believe in immortally, I believe we all owe _the higher_ a death. I've had my time on this earth and I know when it's time to pass the torch on... I guess you can't see this, but Minerva is older than me."

Harry furrowed his brows. That old lady in front of him seemed to be at least 150 years old.

The portrait of Albus Dumbledore said. "Remember Harry what I told you when you were eleven; To the well organized mind, death is the next great adventure."

Harry's jaw dropped. This was something he didn't expect. Hermione noticed this and chuckled, in fact every one in the room chuckled.

"I've been sick, very sick. When only one year pass it feels like I've aged ten years. It's my punishment, for all the crimes I've committed." She sighed and her dark brown eyes were dreamy.

"I can tell you everything I remember but I hope my dear Albus Dumbledore would be so kind and fill in some parts I've either missed or just didn't know about." She said and smiled to the portrait behind McGonagall.

His eyes twinkled. "I would be delighted to do so."

Turning back to Harry. She took a deep breath. _Oh dear, I hope it isn't too late, yet_. "My story starts 1927, the year I was removed from my home, France... "

Harry listened with big eyes. The story was incredible. It was marvelous. And breathtaking. But mostly of all it was unbelievable.

…**.**

Tom fell.

**..**

He spun.

He landed.

The silence.

The coldness.

The loneliness.

It ate him up. He couldn't take it.

"Why me?" he wanted to scream.

But he had no voice.

**..**

Something touched him, horrible cold hands teared his flesh.

Destroyed his face.

Ripped his arms and legs off.

Scratched his eyes out.

Shouted in his ears. It was a horrible scream. Like nails on a blackboard.

The thing, the creature, the monster. It was there, somewhere in the dark.

Hiding.

Hunting.

For him.

**..**

Suddenly he heard a wonderful female voice.

After seconds and seconds.

Minutes after minutes...

...and hours after hours.

In all the darkness. He noticed a small flick of light.

A gentle touch.

Another pair of hands, healed him.

Gave his eyes back.

Put his arms and legs back.

Repaired his teared skin and gave his face back.

With his new eyesight, he saw the light. It was an angel. He was sure of that.

The angel had long honey brown curly hair.

Just like _she_ had.

He couldn't see the angel's features.

He became desperate, he wanted to see who his savior was. The angel noticed this and started to chuckle. The laugh was like music, like pouring water and the singing voice of the finest nightingale.

Suddenly, the angle leaned forward and pressed it's lips on his.

When the angel leaned back, Tom realized, he had his voice back.

"Who are you?"

His voice was hoarse. But the angel didn't seem to mind.

The light radiating from the angel's face, faded.

Finally he saw the angel's features and her eyes.

The warm brown eyes. Those eyes.

"Hermione?"

The angel simply nodded and took his hands.

…**.**

**And so did the story _'__La excepción de la exictencia__'_ end. Not a single dry eye! **

****UPDATED WITH IMPROVED GRAMMAR/SPELLING ETC!****

****Postscript:****

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... Last update of La exepción de la existencia!

Hello reader. If you read this I guess you've read the whole story too and hopefully you've enjoyed it. I must say that I've enjoyed the writing/making of the story. Even some times, when I had writers block and felt exhausted after writing just one page (or just a few words some bad days)... I've simply loved and hated the story. (Both Love and Hate are very strong feelings.)

This is actually the longest story I've ever written! (99 pages, I counted them today.) I beat my old record (unspectacular 18 pages) and that's good!

I know there is tons of stories with Tom/Hermione on fanfiction but I hope was at least a bit original. And I left a very open ending to the story. But I wanted it to be kind of "happy" even if the story was filled with a lot of tragedy. Last chapter and the epilogue were influenced by Joyce Carol Oates' writing... one of my favorite authors. (I read one of her books at that time.)

The readers have been my judge all the way from first chapter to last. I'm quite surprised I've received so many reviews saying simply "Great chapter" etc. On the other side, I've also got a few flames... I liked that one from 'masterHPwriter'.

I want to thank all of you who have been reviewing, alerting and favoriting! You guys are the best!

It wouldn't made it to the end (online) without you guys!

Thank you.

Don't forget to take a look at the trailer!

watch?v=m8J6S-gHD7A

****The author answers reviews from the latest chapter:****

Kirtash R – Thank you for the review (and for calling the story perfect and marvelous ;)) Plus I agree with you, Poor Voldy.

Wolflover1996 – Yeah many people thought Hermione would pop up in the ending battle. That is actually the reason why I deleted that part. (Originally, she was going to show up and meet Tom/Voldemort) I wanted to surprise the readers with another ending, that's all!

Hateme101 – The part in Hermione's life when she leaves St Mungo is not described in the story at all. She simply disappears to France and returns in time for the battle. Tom is supposed to continue with his life (darker and darker..) Sorry if it's still confusing ; )

awesome – pants – 2.0 – Thanks for the nice compliment! (Bittersweet is a very good word to describe the ending...)

. – Thank you for your lovely review. The ending was confusing, eh? It's hard for me to give you answers when you're not telling me what's confusing... : ) Send a PM if you like.

Ginnygirl528 – Wow, that sure was one long review! I've red through it many times and it's getting better every time. It's so nice to see people love the story give me very awesome reviews! Thank you, thank you! I hope my short reply wasn't a let down, since you were writing a __huge__ review. But I'll give you a virtual cookie. ****( :: )****

Lost O'Fallon Girl – Thank you for sticking with me so long. You've been reviewing from the beginning and I'm very happy you took some time to write 'Awesome' to the last chapter!

After 21 chapters...

99 pages...

45, 000 words..

and 24 1685 characters


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